


Charmed, I’m Sure.

by beesandknees



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter RPF
Genre: Anger, Choices, F/M, Friendship, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Love, Love/Hate, Ravenclaw, Slow Burn, Slytherin, conflicts, not really smut but a little bit of spice
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-12
Updated: 2020-12-01
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:47:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 35,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26418949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beesandknees/pseuds/beesandknees
Summary: We follow Anastasia Scamander, a young witch with a previously calm life, as she faces new and unusual experiences in her years at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Will boy troubles, bullies, and personal struggles be all that she has to face, or is there a threat that will make all others pale in comparison? Can a sharp wit, kind soul, and ambition counteract whatever evils may come her way?
Relationships: Cedric Diggory/Original Female Character(s), Draco Malfoy/Original Female Character(s), George Weasley/Original Female Character(s), Harry Potter & Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 20





	1. Prologue, Part One

**Author's Note:**

> Hii! Okay, this is my first story (Not just on here, ever). So, be nice cus I just know I’m going to come back to this in like two years and cringe. I wanted to do something different from what I initially wanted to write about, so it’s gonna be a little choppy as I’m thinking of the story as I go along. Anyways, without further ado, Charmed, I’m Sure.

Chapter 1- Prologue, Part One 

The curtains fluttered as a brisk breeze blew through the French doors and into the room. The grey English morning streamed into the room, going unnoticed by Anastasia as her eyes fluttered in her sleep. 

She was running through a great stone hall, shoes clicking on the cold, hard floor. Her breath coming in quick pants as sweat started to form in beads on the back of her neck, making her dark hair stick to her skin.

The torches had been blown out, leaving the castle dark and cold. Something in her knew that if she stopped running, nothing good could possibly come of it. Her eyes were wide and panicked, tears threatening to stream out any second. Heart racing, Anastasia’s feet seemed to know where to carry her, and she found herself climbing up a small metal staircase. She was going so fast that she couldn’t stop, accidentally smashing her hands on the rails of the observatory. 

She came to a sudden stop and her eyes darted down to the ground, the realization of the height she was at hitting her like a truck. Fear raced through her system like she knew what dark event was about to ensue, leaving her hands shaking. Stasia’s breath caught in her throat as her airways seemed to close, and she let go of the rails to clutch her chest. 

The sound of approaching footsteps only increased her inability to think strategically, her sharp mind failing in the most inopportune moment. There was nowhere to run. She had cornered herself in her mad dash to freedom. As she frantically looked around for an exit, a dark figure came stalking up the same metal stairs. She knew they saw her, her white shirt contrasting with the black starless sky, a dead giveaway. 

A tall man with a blurry face stood still, watching her scramble for an exit. 

Though she couldn’t make out his face, she recognized his form, and his undeniably familiar smell. It was one that once provided her comfort, but in this moment all she felt towards the man was fear. He spoke, words muffled and unintelligible. She couldn’t make out the words, but the tone was sad and angry, with a twinge of remorse. Anastasia tried to speak back, but her breath still wasn’t coming out. 

As he approached, she instinctively stepped back, almost falling off the edge. She spun around and looked down at the courtyard again, knowing any chance for escape had passed a long time ago. A commotion and a flash of red light came from behind her, and her worst fear had suddenly come true. 

Suddenly the ground was coming closer and closer, there was no escape. How had this happened? Was this her end? A thousand questions seemed to stream through her mind, but no amount of thought could stop her plummeting towards the end. A mere second before she hit the concrete of the courtyard, her eyes squeezed shut and she let out a breath.

She awoke, tears staining her cheeks and sweat on her back. Sitting back in her bed, Stasia was quiet and pale-faced, the adrenaline in her system leaving her flushed. This nightmare was one she had only once a year. Every night before her birthday, she had this exact same dream, not one detail changing. Though it was a rather infrequent dream, Stasia felt the need to disclose the details to her mother.

She took a few deep breaths, the shock of the fall slowly fading as she calmed herself down. After a few minutes, she thought of only one thing. Finally, after years of anticipation, her eleventh birthday was upon her. Ever since she and her twin brother, Rolf, had learned about magic and the wizarding world, they had spent countless hours daydreaming about the day they received that letter with the red wax seal.

With a groan, she climbed out of her warm, blanket covered sanctuary. She grabbed a spare blanket to counteract the chill that had been filling the room and wrapped it around her shoulders.

“Now, how did you get open? Silly old door.”

Anastasia chuckled to herself as she carefully shut the glass doors. Padding over to a large, ornate painting, she carefully studied it and slid her hand down the gold painted frame. There were caricatures of intricately detailed flora and fauna, blending into a beautifully colorful vision. She fixed her dark chocolate brown hair so it was sufficiently not bothering her, grabbed the frame with a steady hand, and stepped into the picture.

“Hello everyone,” she chirped while greeting the inhabitants, “quite a bright morning, isn’t it?”

In response, she was pounced upon by her friends. This action reaped a fit of laughter from the small girl as she fell onto her backside into the soft grass floor.

Nearly breathless, Stasia cleared her throat and clapped her hands three times in a carefully memorized sequence.

“Alright, you rascals, get in line. Who wants food?”

Her question was answered immediately by several cries as the creatures formed as neat of a row as possible.

For wild mythical beasts, they did make a half decent line.

Anastasia proceeded to call each creature by name and species, including Bert the Clabbert, Crabs the Crup, Dixie the Doxy, Bebe the Flitterby, and her favorite (though she’d never tell the other creatures that), Charming the Fwooper. 

Each creature took their designated bowl of food by paw, claw, or tooth. She gave each a gentle pat on the head, excluding Bert due to the red pustule on his forehead.

Instead she opted for a quick scratch behind one of his small horns, to which he let out a contented hiss, and he clambered up his tree.

“Hey! What about Harvey, you little git!”

Stasia gasped at the rude exclamation shouted by a tiny voice behind her. Spinning on her heel to catch a look at whoever the belligerent little person that had spoken, she couldn’t find a single soul in sight. The confused girl itched her head and scanned her premises, only to be berated once more by the same voice.

“Down here you barmy girl!”

Her wide eyes shot down as she finally caught sight of the speaker. When she realized who was shouting, she erupted in laughter. A bushy Jarvey circled around an empty bowl with the engraved name HARVEY. He looked up at her with black beady eyes and flitted his brown tail about.

“Come on, on with it plonker!”

He spoke expectantly as he bared his tiny, sharp teeth. She took this to mean if she didn’t feed him soon, he’d use them in an unpleasant way against her. After all, though these creatures looked just like a big cute ferret, they were on a tier XXX danger level in the eyes of the Ministry. 

She placed a mole in his dish and pet Harvey’s velvety brown fur. Just as quickly as he appeared, he ran away with his prize in tow.

“Ah, Jarveys. Cute buggers, they just can’t help but be a tad rude when they speak.”

Anastasia looked up towards the painting to find an all too familiar figure stood, leaning on the frame. At the sight of him, her gentle, caring smile grew as bright as the sun. 

“Grandpa Newt!” 


	2. Chosen, Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We learn more about Anastasia and her family, as her life begins to change with one long awaited postal delivery.

Chapter 2- Chosen, Part Two

“Grandpa Newt!”

Anastasia ran so quickly, she practically apparated over to her grandpa, a smile so bright she would have replaced the sun. She normally would make sure not to have hurt a man as old as himself, but her brain failed to send that thought to the rest of her body, accidentally crashing into Newt’s abdomen. In his young age, Newt would’ve not minded one bit, but at the ripe age of 103 he was much less spry. Many people had wondered how he lived so long, but with many healing spells from great wizards and witches, he was as fit as an 85 year old muggle.

She was looking up at him with tears in her eyes, guilt racking her face. 

“I’m sorry grandpa Newt, I’m sorry, I just did it I couldn’t stop, I was so excited and I just ran! Grandpa don’t be mad, please!” 

“Woah there love, calm down, you’re alright,” he comforted her as best he could with some of the wind knocked out of his chest.

He chuckled and ran his hand over her hair, messy from tending to the animals. Of course, he wasn’t mad in the slightest. Newt could never be mad at his granddaughter, for she reminded him so much of his dear Porpentina. Her dark chocolate hair, the way her mind seemed to question everything it set upon until a somewhat sensible conclusion was drawn as to its purpose, even the shape of her head was similar to the departed love his his life. 

Though her eyes, her eyes were her father’s eyes. Green and intelligent, with golden brown rings around her pupils. They held all of her emotions, becoming an obvious tell to how she felt, even if she tried to hide it with her facial expression. Now, as he tried to comfort her, he looked at her eyes to try and see if he was at all successful.

They were swimming with remorse, sadness, and shining from the tears building in the corners. In that moment, all he saw in her face was himself. His own struggle with people, and his own impulsive actions, leading him to where he was now. 

Deep down, he knew why she struggled with these things. He frowned as he thought about his own impact on the girl, her actions, and why she had such trouble in these kinds of scenarios. Newt remembered his own struggle with his autism, over his whole life. He had Aspergers, or AD, which was passed down through genetics.

Neither his son nor his grandson struggled with this, at least not in any obvious ways, which was a comfort to him. 

“Anastasia Scamander, don’t you cry now. Look at me, this wizard can take far more than a little 12 year old to the chest. Now, come downstairs to breakfast. There’s something very special on the table I think you and your brother will want to see.”

He wiped a tear from her eye and held out his arm for her to take. Stasia sniffled, her nose a little red already from the sudden emotions, but she smiled softly at her grandpa. Hooking her arm around his outstretched one, they continued out of the painting and down the hallway towards her brother’s room.

“Rolf? Come on out, there’s a surprise downstairs for your sister and you!”

As soon as he heard his grandfather’s voice, the door swung open, revealing Anastasia’s fraternal twin Rolf. While she retained qualities from her father’s side of the family, he resembled his mother more than anyone. His light brown hair was very wiry and fluffy, contrasting with her smooth dark locks. He shared her green eyes, but not the way they reflected her every inner thought. In fact, his emotions were very well concealed to those who didn’t know where to look. But to Stasia, his closest friend and confidant, it was painfully obvious. In fact, she had told him many times that whenever he would try to hide how he felt, he would display the smallest sign of how he felt with his smile.

“Grandad! I’ve missed you, how’s Queenie?”

This line of questioning made both Anastasia and Newt laugh. It was very much like Rolf to ask about Queenie, as he had only seen pictures of the gorgeous blonde witch. 

“Perhaps I’ll tell you, if you come down to the kitchen. Your parents have been waiting for a tad bit too long. Come on now you two, much to do today!”

They all walked down to the kitchen, arm in arm, finding their parents setting down plates of English breakfast foods. The family cleared their plates quickly, laughing and chattering. After the food was eaten and the table cleaned, Newt walked back to the table, reaching into his coat pocket and pulling out what Stasia had always dreamed of seeing. He smiled as he handed the objects to his grandchildren, glancing at his son and daughter-in-law, both with large smiles on their faces as well.

The famous letters with the red wax seals, addressed to Rolf and Anastasia Scamander of 1879 Leadenhall Road.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**Two Weeks Later**

It was the day before they got on the train to start their life in the Wizarding World, and that only meant one thing. Today was the day the Scamander children visited Diagon Alley for the first time to purchase their schooling materials. They bounded down the street with beaming smiles on their faces, looking at all the shop windows in awe. Each were given 10 galleons and told to first buy everything on their list, with one treat each included, of course. 

Anastasia looked down at the paper in her hand, carefully listing off each item in order of least to most important.

“Okay, cauldron, books, uniform, and  **wand** !” 

Her eyes widened in excitement at the last item. She had never owned a wand, only being allowed to hold her mother’s from time to time when there was no possible danger. The thought of her very own wand made her walk even faster, not paying attention to where she stepped as she speed walked down the alley.

And suddenly, something forced her to come to a halt.

“Ow! Watch where you’re going stupid girl!”

For a split second she wondered if there were a loose Jarvey on the street, shouting rudely at her once more. She looked down quickly, searching, and just as quickly realized her mistake.

“What the bloody hell are you looking at? Are you dull? I’m right here!”

She felt her face getting hot out of embarrassment already, looking up to see a short, dough-faced blonde child, his hair slicked back with what looked like far too much gel. Stasia stared at his hair, a puzzled look on her face, and she wondered why this kid who looked her age would have so much gel. And before she could stop herself, she blurted out something she regretted immensely.

“Why do you use so much gel?”

Her hands flashed to her mouth as she realized what just came out of it. A disgusting, hateful look flashed across the boy’s face and he sneered at her. When he spoke, his voice dripped with loathing. 

“Speak towards me like that again and my father will have your ugly, dull head on a spike, you hear me? And trust me, my father  **will** hear about this.”

He glared at her in a way that could make a grown man feel low, even if he towered over the boy. It certainly made her feel like absolute gutter trash. She watched him walk away with a pompous air about him, towards a tall, slender blonde man with long hair. Something in her could tell that was his father, the one that would supposedly ‘hear about’ her encounter with his son. She knew that if she stayed long, she’d be a goner, and her feet carried her towards the wand shoppe.

“Ah, another Scamander here in my shop! To what and whom do I owe the pleasure?”

She furrowed her brows at his peculiar choice in words, but answered as best she could.

“I’m Anastasia Scamander, sir. Here for a wand?”

“Yes, yes, most people who come into here are,” he said with a small laugh, his eyes darting around the boxes of wands, brushing each with his fingers, “no need to guess which wand is for you, I already know exactly the one.”

He reached far back into a lower shelf, and pulled out a dusty purple box. Sliding out the bottom, he unveiled the wand in a flourish, pulling back the iridescent protective fabric on top. The wand was beautiful, a gold tendril design swirling around it like a plant sprout, the base a dark hazel hue with a small crystal on the very base.

“Chestnut wood, and a phoenix feather core, perfect for one like yourself. Your Hufflepuff lineage shows true, as this is the very same wood and core of perhaps the most famous Hufflepuff of all, Helga Hufflepuff herself. And as I’m sure you don’t know, your soon to be Care or Magical Creatures teacher, Professor Kettleburn. Chestnut wood is drawn to those who are skilled tamers of magical beasts, and wand wielders who portray the qualities of multiple houses. Now, let’s see if I was right with this one, shall we?”

As he laid the wand carefully in her hands, Anastasia felt a slight tingle from the tips of her fingers, quickly traveling up her arms and through her body. She grasped the base and stared at it intently, not quite knowing what to do. 

“Now, give it a swish, why don’t you?”

She steadied her mind as a whirlwind of doubts and worries crept through. 

_ What if I’m not good enough for it? _

_ If I break something in an accident will I get sent to Azkaban? _

_ I’m so dang nervous, I wish grandpa Newt was here. _

“Take a deep breath and trust the wand, miss. If I know myself, which I’m sure I do, this selection is perfect for you. But if my years of working with wands proves me wrong, .we will find you one that suits you. I have plenty.”

She looked at the old man and found comfort in his smile. He was right, there are plenty of wands in the store, if this doesn’t work there are about 500 that could. Stasia raised the wand and closed her eyes, swishing it through the air in one smooth motion.

Suddenly, a warm golden light send the dust around her swirling in the air.

It had worked. The wand chose her, becoming hers. It felt, well,  _ magical. _

“Ah yes, a very good match, I can see you two getting along very well. Good day Ms. Scamander.”

Stepping out of the wand shoppe, she was still dazed with wonder. It was one thing to see her parents use magic, but to experience it herself was unlike anything she had ever felt. And now, with that, she was finally ready to get on the train the next day.


	3. The Castle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s finally the day. The day Anastasia goes to Hogwarts for the very first time. On the train, she finds friends in some red-haired boys, and meets the Golden Trio soon after. And after some trouble, she is sorted into her house.

Chapter 3- The Castle

“You want me to run? At the wall? Seems a little dangerous, like what if I crash? What if it’s not the right wall and everyone looks at us running into a wall?”  
Anastasia’s parents looked at her, paused with silence, before bursting out in laughter. They loved their quizzical little girl, and appreciated her worried questioning. It showed that she wouldn’t leap into dangerous situations without some consideration, at least.   
“Darling, your brother can go before you if you’re worried. But trust us, countless witches and wizards have passed through this wall for centuries before us. You will be safe, Zee.”  
Stasia scrunched her nose as the nickname, which made her mother chuckle again. She hugged the blonde, and took her brother’s hand.  
“Can we go together? For safety precautions.”  
He huffed and pretended like he wasn’t scared just as much as his sister was.  
“Fine, on the count of three. Ready, Zee?”  
She narrowed her eyes at the stupid boy she unfortunately loved, as he counted down. The second he said one, she squeezed her eyes shut and took off, making sure she held onto his hand.   
Suddenly, she was surrounded by the chattering of families, joined by the hooting and meowing of several creatures. It was warm, steam from the train shooting out from its top, creating a comfortable atmosphere. As she looked around, Stasia could see many young children hugging their parents and hauling their luggage inside the black and red train.   
“See? No danger here. Only the risk of a loose owl in your hair, which is very slim.”  
Her father squeezed her shoulder as he said this, smiling at her in a way that let her know he was obviously joking. She let her guard down, realizing there was no danger as long as she had family with her.   
As soon as her luggage was on the train, along with the black cat she had begged her parents to purchase on their trip to Diagon Alley, were all where they should be, she sat down on the red seats and waved out the window. Rolf had found a seat with some boys in another section of the train, promising his sister he would meet up with her inside Hogwarts. So now she sat alone in the booth, leaning her head on her shoulder as she stared out the window, watching as the train travelled into the countryside, vibrant green grass contrasting with the stark blue skies.  
“This one seems good, wouldn’t you say Fred?”  
“Aye, if you don’t count the daydreaming girl.”  
“I don’t think she’d mind if we sat, we’re excellent company after all.”  
Stasia lifted her eyes towards the two fiery-haired boys that were making their way into the seats across from her, suddenly very amused. She smiled, turning herself in their direction and holding her hand out for a shake.   
“Before the pleasure of your company, I do think names should be in order! Anastasia Scamander, but if you’d like you can call me Stasia, after all Anastasia is quite a mouthful. Or so I’ve been told.”  
They both glanced at each other, obviously deciding they liked this girl, and throwing out a hand each to shake with her. She laughed, shook who she took as Fred’s hand with her left hand, and the other’s with her right.   
“Fred, is it?”  
“No, I’m Fred!”  
“And I’m George!”  
“Blimey, girl!”  
Her shoulders shook with laughter at this exchange, knowing they were trying to play with her mind.   
“No no, you,” she pointed her finger at the twin on the right, “are Fred. And you are George. Because you’re shorter than Fred, but only by a little.”  
“Taller, yes, but you forgot handsomer, smarter, and whittier!”   
“Yes, you’re right Fred, I am those things.”  
They kept bickering as she watched, bemused by their banter. She too, could tell that she already liked her new friends.

When they reached their stop, she hopped up and ushered the boys to get their things ready to get off the train. All three of them walked speedily off the train, chattering and fixing their robes. Anastasia was so excited, she almost forgot to meet with her brother, but when she saw the sandy blonde in front of her, she shook his shoulders with her hands and talked loudly over the rabble of the other students.  
“We’re here! We’re really here! Can you believe it? Look at the castle, it’s like a dream!”  
She was stopped by the twins behind her, clearing their throats.   
“Oh! Yes, this is Fred and George. They’re twins, like us! But identical. They’re second years here, they’ve been telling me all about Hogwarts!”  
Her brother smiled at the boys and gave them a small wave, and turned his attention back to Anastasia.   
“Well, now that you’re not alone, you can walk up to the castle without me. I’m going to go with my new friends, this is Crabbe, Goyle, and Draco!”  
As he turned to show her his friends, her smile quickly faded.   
Are you joking me? He made friends with the gel boy? Who would want to be his friend?  
“This is your sister, Scamander? I would never have guessed.”  
Draco said this, sneering in a hateful manner. Obviously, his grudge about her hair comment was still being held.   
“Oh, you’ve met?”  
“No, never seen her before in my life. Let’s go to the boats now, I wouldn’t want to hang around consorts of Weasleys.”  
Rolf looked at her and the twins, puzzled, but waved goodbye to his sister and turned to follow Malfoy. Stasia felt conflicted, seeing her brother go with the bully who had been so rude to her in Diagon Alley and her friends just now. But she was also confused as to why he had said he didn’t know her. Was he embarrassed that she had commented on his overuse of hair product?  
“Well, we second years need to take a different path to the castle. But, you can go with my brother, Ron! He’s the other ginger one, easy to spot. In fact, he’s right there, by the boats. Just tell him you’re friends of George and Fred.”  
“Ahem, Fred and George,” Fred interjected.  
“George and Fred!” George said, turning to his twin.  
Anastasia knew this wouldn’t come to a conclusion any time soon, so she tapped their shoulders and bid them goodbye, making her way to the other ginger they had called Ron. They were right, he was very easy to spot.  
“Um, hello?”   
She wrung her hands awkwardly, trying to talk to the short redhead. Talking with Fred and George had been easy, they seemed to provoke fluid conversation wherever they went, but introducing herself to a stranger on the basis of ‘your brothers sent me because they didn’t want me to be alone’ was very difficult.  
Ron noticed the dark haired girl attempting to get his attention and turned to face her. His eyebrows lifted slightly, as if he was expecting her to say something, but she couldn’t seem to let out words. Ron turned to his friend, a boy with dark hair and round glasses, looking for help.  
“Hi, I’m Harry, Harry Potter.”  
He said as he stepped into the boat, holding out his hand to help her on. She had heard the whisperings about Harry Potter. The boy who lived, or so her parents called him. They were talking about the seemingly impossible boy once while Anastasia had been listening from the other room, hearing whispers of Voldemort, the killing curse, Lily and James Potter, impossible…  
“Harry Potter, the famous one? You survived-“ she was able to pause her line of dialogue, remembering that saying his name was frowned upon, “you know… that guy?”  
Harry shifted uncomfortably as he looked into her eyes. She couldn’t tell if she had insulted him, but she still felt bad about bringing it up. Still, in her head she thought one thing. Does he really have that scar?   
“Oh, uh, yeah I do.”  
She looked up, realizing she must have said it out loud, mentally cursing herself.  
“Do you want to see it? It’s okay, I don’t mind.”   
She was somewhat comforted that he wasn’t angry at her, and she nodded at him. She couldn’t help wanting to see it, after all it wasn’t every day you got to see an 11 year old boy with a perfect lightning-shaped scar.  
He lifted his fluffy black hair to reveal the thin red scar, which made her gasp quietly. She couldn’t tell if it was awe or shock, but he seemed to take it as shock, because he quickly moved his hair back over it and looked away,   
“Oh, no, I wasn’t like, grossed out by it! It’s not every day you see a lightning scar. I like it!”  
He seemed to feel comforted by this, smiling and looking back at her.   
As they stepped off the boat and made their way to the castle, Harry tried to fill the space.  
“You never said what your name was?”  
“Oh yes, sorry, Anastasia. Or Stasia. Scamander.”  
She managed to stammer out the sentence with Harry’s green eyes looking at her intently. She saw his eyebrows furrow for a second, before Ron spoke.  
“Scamander, like that one wizard? He wrote that book about the animals, yeah? Magic creatures and, uh..” he trailed off as he struggled to find the name of the book in his head.  
“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, actually Ronald.”   
A voice said from behind them, making all three turn around to see a girl with curly brown hair, smiling confidently. She walked up and stood next to Anastasia on the stairway, holding her hand to the girl and speaking simultaneously.  
“I’m Hermione Granger. I’ve read the book, it’s very well written, a very interesting collection of information. I’m assuming he’s your grandfather? Or great-grandfather?”  
Anastasia smiled, glad that she wasn’t the one who had to relay all of the details of her heritage to the two boys, and shook Hermione’s hand.  
“Just grandpa, yeah.”  
All four stood there, content with the close to the conversation, as their attention was drawn to Professor McGonagal explaining the process of sorting.

There she stood, in the Great Hall, looking at all the students at their separate tables. She had waved to Fred and George, sitting together at the Gryffindor table. As the other students were called and sorted, Anastasia wondered what house she would be in.   
Her family on her father’s side was Hufflepuff mostly, but her mother was a Slytherin. Due to the stigma against Slytherins, most people were confused why a Hufflepuff, the house of kindness and loyalty, would choose to wed a Slytherin. But because of all of the people who judged their relationship, Stasia’s father chose to educate his children and ward off negative inclination towards large groups. She could still hear his most common subject to this day.  
“ Hufflepuff’s are some of the few who won’t judge based on negative rumors, and because of this, they do not judge Slytherins for the actions of those who turn to the side of dark magic, and we are kind to them. This makes the two amazingly loyal friends, for a good Slytherin values the kindness of others, as infrequent as it is.”  
As Stasia was lost in her thoughts, she heard her brother’s name being called.  
“Rolf Scamander!”  
They looked at each other in anticipation, Rolf’s face a mixture of fear and excitement. The hat was placed on his head, where it paused and pondered. Stasia held her breath, knowing she would support whatever house he was in, but secretly hoping he could be placed in Hufflepuff. After all, there was less trouble being in Hufflepuff. No matter what people did in Slytherin, they were hated by many.  
“SLYTHERIN!”   
The hat shouted as a large cheering came from the Slytherin table. Rolf smiled and ran over to sit next to Draco and his dull friends. Anastasia was happy for her brother, but secretly wished he would stop being friends with that horrid boy, knowing that there was a small chance he could influence her brother negatively. But she quickly brushed off this thought as her name was called.  
“Anastasia Scamander!”  
Adrenaline was flooding her system, the thought of being away from all of her friends in Gryffindor or her brother in Slytherin worrying her ever so slightly. She sat down on the stool as the hat was placed on her head, sinking just past her eyebrows. It spoke in a hushed tone at first, like it was just for her.  
“Now, you are a trouble, aren’t you? Very ambitious, yes, much like your brother, but loyal. Very kind a well, caring for all those creatures. Smart, but not cold, and brave, but in fleeting moments. There is a dark side to you as well, though you cannot see it. Perhaps you would make a good Slytherin, like your mother? Impatient, forgetful, and clumsy, but you don’t let these things halt you. No, no, you work too hard to falter. I know what we must do with you. It’ll have to be…HUFFLEPUFF!”  
A ear splitting cheer erupted from the Hufflepuff table, which made her anxious beyond belief, shutting her eyes and squeezing her hands so as to not start to shake. She was ushered to the table, and before she could think about it she sat herself quickly next to a stranger. He looked at her with a wide smile, before noticing she looked off, and placing a hand on her back.   
“Hey, it’s alright. I get no one really thinks too much of Hufflepuff, but you’ll love it here, trust me.”  
His voice gave her something to focus on, rather than the loud chatter of excited students, and she smiled softly before turning to him.  
“I’m so happy to be in Hufflepuff, I always knew I’d be in it. But it’s just- it’s so loud in here…”  
She trailed off after looking up at his face. He was older than her, but not by a lot, and his face was pale. His cheeks were rosy due to the excitement of the event and cheering many times, and she could see the happiness shining through his blue eyes too. He has tousled golden brown hair, with a strong jawline forming already. He smiled down at her, a perfect white smile that could surely make some girls swoon, and removed his hand from her back.  
“Well, it’s a good thing that we’re going to the common rooms soon then. I’m Cedric Diggory, and you’re Anastasia, right? Scamander?”  
She nodded and looked towards the table, feeling her cheeks get hot.  
He remembered my name! Merlin, I already love these people.  
After they were excused, the prefects led each house up to their respective dorms. Stasia waved to her friends, then hugged her brother and whispered a quick “congratulations!” to him, and walked after her house-mates.   
When she was settled into her dorm with the other girls, she put on some pajamas and crawled into the warm, quilted bed. She looked up at the ceiling and sighed, quite content with how this day had gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is finally the end of the prologue! It was a little longer than expected, but boy have I got some big plans for our girl. They grow up so fast :’(


	4. Different, But the Same.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time jump to Anastasia’s fifth year, where Malfoy stirs up emotions and she is comforted by her friends.

Chapter 4- Different, But the Same

Anastasia hardly slept at all the previous night, with it being her first day all over again. Her fourth year at Hogwarts started off the same as the last, attending the sorting ceremony, eating at the feast with her house, and having an overall great time with her friends as they laughed and chattered through the night.  
This year, however, she had to be the one to lead the students up to the Hufflepuff dorms. She was chosen to be a prefect, along with none other than Cedric Diggory, her second best friend in the house. The first being Maisie Martin, who she had shared a bed next to in their dorm since the very first night. They instantly connected over a love for creatures, and their knack for sneaking food out of the kitchens during curfew.  
She sat in t her bed, the bright sun streaming through the window, practically blinding her tired eyes. Tom, her black cat whose green eyes always seemed to twinkle with something mysterious, jumped into her lap, obviously seeking attention. As he rubbed his face on her hand, demanding to be pet, Maisie scooped him up and squeezed him lightly. She had always loved to squeeze cute, small animals. Apparently having to do with a human’s overwhelming response to seeing something very cute, like her best friend’s black cat.  
“And how are you this fine morning Mr. Tiny,” she spoke to the cat while looking intently into his eyes, blinking slowly, “see, if you blink while looking at them, it makes them trust you. But you gotta do it slowly, or else you might have some sort of… I don’t know, eyeball stroke.”  
Anastasia just laughed at her friend, always enjoying witnessing her interactions with animals. She managed to stand her tired legs up and out of bed, teetering a little before trudging her way over to her chest full of uniform clothing. She changed quickly out of the warm pajamas she had worn last night, and into her everyday heavy robes with a white button up, vest, pleated skirt, and last but not least, her Hufflepuff tie.  
“God, I look awful in the mornings,” Stasia groaned as she stared into the mirror, poking at her puffy eyes in disdain, “there should totally be a spell to fix these.”  
“There is Stasie, it’s called makeup. The most bewitching, powerful spell of them all, able to change a witch or wizard’s appearance with ease.”  
They both looked at each other with serious glares, before laughing wildly, no doubt waking the other half-asleep girls who were getting ready near them. Instead of grumbling like any other person, they all laughed along with the girls.  
“Don’t you just love it in Hufflepuff? Always good food, good people, who could ever complain?” Anastasia gushed, remembering the amazing years she had had in her house.  
“Yeah yeah, we get it, you’re glad you weren’t put in Ravenclaw.”  
“I just wasn’t-“  
“Wasn’t built for studying, yes yes Stasie I do believe we have talked about this many many times,” Maisie managed to hold a sarcastic tone for a while, but faltered when she saw her friend’s face cracking with laughter. They were both set off into a fit of laughter again, both kneeling almost to the ground as they gripped their stomachs.  
“Okay, alright, if we take any longer I’m going to be late. And, as a prefect, late is unacceptable!” She mimicked the terrible new professor, Delores Umbridge, which evoked another laugh from the room.  
Anastasia hugged her friend tightly, promising to meet with her around lunchtime to chat after classes. Patting Tom’s head, she ran off to meet Cedric in front of the dorms for their first class of the day, which they were always early for. When she stopped next to the brown haired boy, she looked up at him from her knelt over position, breathing heavily from her rush to the door.  
“A little late, aren’t we?” He teased her with a wide grin spread along his face, as his hands found their way to her back, hugging her.  
This was their regular morning greeting, of course. Making fun of each other playfully, hugging, and racing to their next class. Cedric and Stasia practically had identical schedules, excluding her Care of Magical Creatures and Potions class.  
They always had lots of luck when it came to being able to spend time together, never thinking that the other was busy, because normally they never were. Aside from his quidditch practices on Monday and Thursday, and the occasional game, Cedric was a very free man. And Stasia, who had always wanted to fly, joined the team in her second year after much encouragement from her friend. She ended up loving the sport, and became the team Seeker.  
Of course, Harry was excited to hear about this as well, him being a Seeker since his first year. He got to train Anastasia and, eventually, play against her. As much as she hated to admit it, he was much better than her, but she didn’t let that stop her. She has actually won five times against him in the last three years by some amazing twist of fate, dampening his (massive) ego somewhat. But he always came back stronger than before.  
As she was lost in thought about quidditch and how she was to beat Harry in the upcoming Hufflepuff - Gryffindor game, Cedric came to a sudden halt in front of her, causing her to smash into him.  
“Fuck, Diggory! My nose!” She held onto her face, which had just come into contact with his hard back.  
“Shit, shit, I’m sorry, it’s just, well, we’re here. Are you gonna be okay Zee?”  
She glared at him through her fingers, knowing he knew she didn’t like that name. Cedric froze, realizing what he said, and backed into the room slowly, a smile starting to grow on his face.  
“See, you can't hit me if we’re in the classroom. That’s- that’s just not proper Hufflepuff behavior young lady,”  
“I’ll show you proper Diggory,” she said in a mischievous voice, quickly lunging at him with her small hands, tickling his sides and poking him over his abdomen.  
“Hey! Ah- no, sTOP the tickling! I- aH!- I’m ticklish and you are aware of this fact!” He half-shouted as you chased him around the classroom tables, trying to pinch his sides. You both came to a stop as a familiar voice came from the doorway.  
“Playing couple now, HuffleGits?”  
Stasia balled her fist and resisted the urge to smack the pompous blonde over his stupid, white head. Cedric knew of her loathing towards Malfoy, and intertwined his fingers with hers to let her know to be calm. She took a breath and sat down, Cedric following as he sat next to her at the table.  
Draco simply scoffed at the two and sat down, murmuring something unintelligible under his breath. Anastasia was normally fine with simply ignoring his dumb remarks, but today was not that kind of day. She stood up and paced over to his table, planting her palm on the surface right next to his arm.  
“Listen, Gels, I’m tired of your stupid muttering. Say something to my face if you’re so great. Or maybe you’re just a scared boy who wants to torture a girl because she is more happy than you are? Whatever it is, you need to just butt out, okay? Leave me alone Malfoy.”  
All he did in response was roll his eyes, sneering in his ugly manner, before the professor came in and asked Stasia to return to her seat. After that, she kept feeling his burning gaze staring holes into the back of her head. But she kept firm, never turning around to acknowledge him.  
Maybe if I pretend he doesn’t exist, his ego will be bruised and he’ll stop being such a foul, loathsome little boy.  
But as Anastasia realized throughout the week, this had only made him worse. Through her denial of his existence, Draco has only grown more hateful, badgering her in all his spare time. Sometimes, it would seem as if he intentionally searched for her, just to berate her. She kept a friend close at all times, just to make sure she didn’t kill the bully, or vice versa. Today it was George who decided to step in as the self named “Draco repellent”. He smiled goofily when he thought up the title, shouting out, “I am the Draco repellent!”, every now and again, which never failed to make Stasia giggle as she punched his arm.  
“So, m’lady, where to?” George said, bowing slightly.  
“Well, m’lord, I have Herbology with Gryffindor next. Would you care to accompany me, good sir?”  
“Ah, t’would be my greatest pleasure, madam!”  
They both curtsied and skipped down to the greenhouses, where they found their class in the warm, glass rooms. Throughout class, George would whisper jokes and prank ideas in her ear, making her let out hushed giggles whenever they were especially stupid. He put his hand on her back and excused himself, no doubt to go pull another ‘epic’ prank with his twin.  
After class, Anastasia walked into the courtyard, where she saw Malfoy and his gang approaching Harry. Worried, she sped up her walking. She knew that look on his face, a sign Draco was harassing a poor student once again. Before she could reach Harry, a man she had seen at the feast the first day came limping between them quickly. He said a spell, and Draco was transformed.  
She couldn’t help but burst out in laughter as the white ferret scampered on the ground, being levitated into one of Malfoy’s lackey’s pants. Her sides started to ache as she wheezed with laughter, the sight being more healing than any spell known to man. Finally, Malfoy gets the humiliation he rightfully put upon himself!  
McGonagal interrupted the scene, unfortunately, and Draco was back on two feet. He brushed himself off quickly, before quickly heading away. As he walked by Anastasia, she accidentally let out a laugh, which made him turn to her in fury. But before he could lay a hand on her, Cedric was in front of her, guarding her from the infuriated blonde. Malfoy simply let out a growl, and sulked away towards the Slytherin commons.  
Turning to face her, Cedric smiled and gently punched her shoulder.  
“Laughing at Malfoy? I didn’t know you had it in you, Zee. Maybe you should’ve been in Slytherin after all!”  
“If I was, I know I would have punched you already, Ceddie. That just proves I’m a kind, sweet little Puff.”  
Anastasia said this in a sickeningly sweet tone, smiling up at Diggory with innocent eyes, making him feign vomiting as they both laughed.  
“So, dinner then dorms?” He asked, already knowing the answer.  
“Yess, I am starving. You know, I skipped breakfast today!”  
Cedric gasped dramatically as he placed the back of his hand on her forehead.  
“Oh god, are you dying? Less than three meals? Who are you and what have you done with my best friend?”  
She smiled and wiggled her eyebrows, backing towards the dining hall.  
“I guess I’ll just have to prove it’s me by eating as much as humanly possible at dinner. Coming, Digs?”  
“Always,” he said, smirking and running after her, catching by the waist eventually and spinning her around so she was facing behind them.  
“First one to the Great Hall gets all the cream puffs!” Cedric shouted, running at full speed down the hall.  
“Oh, no way are you getting those damn cream puffs!”  
And with that, she sped down the hall, chasing after Cedric with a burning smile.


	5. The Cup

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The finalists for the TriWizard Tournament are chosen, leaving Anastasia with more time on her hands than expected. While she’s left alone, she gets in an entanglement with her worst enemy.

Chapter 5- The Cup

Today was a very special day for the students of Hogwarts. Or so Anastasia had been told, every single minute since Cedric put his name into the blue fire of the Triwizard Cup. The only moments of silence she could get was when she slipped into the girl’s bathroom, and even that was interrupted by Moaning Myrtle’s occasional scream or giggle. 

But now, she was being dragged out of bed by Maisie, shouting and pulling her legs.

“Maisieee, it’s six in the morning! Why are you even trying to get me up, you don’t have class until like  _ twelve _ .”

“Stasia, if I don’t do this, Cedric himself will barge into the girl’s dorm and rip you out of it yourself. I swear to god, whenever you’re not around to rant at about the stupid tournament, he does it to me. And I can't stand it anymore, but I can’t even be mad at him! He’s too cute.”

“You’re right, Maisie, I am very cute,” came a voice from the doorway.

Both Stasia and Maisie deadpanned to the door. Of course, they could recognize the boy’s voice with their eyes shut.

“Now Cedric, don’t let that go to your head. You already have half of the girls at this school trailing after you, after all.”

Cedric just laughed at this, although he knew it was slightly true. The girls ushered him out of the room, and changed quickly before rushing down to the great hall for the ceremony. When she walked through the dark, towering doors to the Great Hall, she stood and scanned the room. 

The first person she saw was Harry, smiling at her and sitting with Ron, and Hermione. She smiled and waved back, and looked again for Cedric. She eventually found him and began to walk over, but a hand gently grabbed her waist and twirled her around. 

“We don’t think dear old Ceddie needs your company right now dear, in fact, we’d rather enjoy it ourselves. If you don’t mind, that is.”

Stasia looked up, grinning at the ginger whose hand touched lightly on her waist.

“It would be my pleasure to enjoy the company of the Weasleys on any other day, but today I think Cedric needs my company a little more. After all, he’s the one who  _ succeeded  _ in putting his name into the goblet.”

Fred and George winced slightly in embarrassment as they remembered their incident with the goblet. Stasia just smiled and chuckled quietly as she patted both of their cute fiery heads, walking back over to where Cedric and his friends sat. 

When she heard his name called, she cheered and ushered him forward to shake Dumbledore’s hand. Anastasia couldn’t tell if she was happy about the fact that he was happy, angry that he had put himself in danger on purpose, or sad that his time would be too occupied with the tournament to see her. But whatever she was, she decided to buck up and support him no matter what. 

**Time Jump- Late January**

Stasia sat in the library, staring at the flickering fire. The last four months had felt like they went by slower than her last four years at Hogwarts. With Cedric busy preparing for his first challenge, Maisie tutoring 

Fred, George out with some weird sickness, and the Golden Trio occupied in a big friendship drama, she was stuck with studying and prefect duties for the time being. 

With her tasks all completed for the day, she had nothing to do but read and roam the castle. Today her feet were tired, and walking sounded like the last possible thing she wanted to do. So there she sat, on the leather couch in front of the flames, idling the rest of the day away. 

Eventually, she grew bored (and not to mention far too warm), and walked out into the halls. They were mostly empty, aside from the few stragglers roaming, most likely bored like her. She walked until she found an empty corridor, slowing her pace and enjoying the cool night air.

Her shoes clicked on the hard stone floor, the sound seeming to flash her mind back to her nightmare. She shut her eyes and followed the path the always took in the dream, speeding her strides and breaking into a run. Finally, she was at the balcony of the astronomy tower, looking out at the hills and lakes of the Scottish highlands. 

The wind whipped her hair into her face, turning her cheeks red. Since her robes were left behind in the dorms, the wind chill managed to reach through her garments and onto her skin, which made her teeth clatter. Her eyes shut tightly because she couldn’t bring herself to look down, picturing her plummet to the ground. She released her iron grip on the railing to back up quickly, not wanting to be near the edge anymore. 

“Why the hell are you up here?”

If she didn’t think she could get any more cold, she was proven wrong when a chill came over her. She knew that voice, it had been following her for years. 

“Just leave me alone Malfoy, I don’t want to hear it tonight.”

“What you want doesn’t matter to me.”

“Right, right, because the only thing that matters to Draco Malfoy is himself, right?”

“You don’t know a thing about me, mudblood.”

“I’m not a damn mudblood Malfoy, not that it even matters. You’re just ignorant. You’re an ignorant, disgusting, rude, classist, billy!”

She ended this line shouting, almost out of breath. Her face was hot and red from anger, and she had trapped Malfoy against a wall with her finger poking into his chest. Stasia was shocked by what had come out of her mouth, but didn’t want to give Draco any reason to think she felt bad about being mean to him.

Draco stood there, speechless. His grey eyes searched hers for any remorse or weakness, but he couldn’t find a thing. His mouth was slightly open in shock, but he put up his walls again and straightened, focusing a blazing gaze directly into her eyes.

“Well well well, the stupid little Hufflepuff has a temper. You think you can intimidate me,” he spoke in a gravelly voice as he inched closer to her, aiming to intimidate the small girl, “but you’re very wrong. I see you trying to protect yourself from me with all of those boys. You’re not intimidating, Anastasia. You’re just a short, dumb,  _ slag. _ ”

The next moment happened so fast, Anastasia could barely comprehend what was going on. 

After hearing Draco call her that, she slapped him  _ hard _ across his pale face. He touched his cheek for a second, before looking her right in the eye, grabbing her collar, and twisting her around so her back was against the cold walls. 

“ _ Malfoy _ !” Was all she could say before he silenced her with his own lips. The kiss was anything but sweet. It was filled with years of resentment and hostility. She felt the anger and heat radiating from his body as he practically attacked her lips with passion. She knew he could feel the same anger from her, but all she was aware of in that short moment was herself kissing him back with just as much passion. 

He grabbed her waist and pulled her torso into his own, while her hands found his white hair and tangled her fingers into the strands. When she pulled a lock, he opened his mouth and let out a deep groan, and Stasia found herself taking the opportunity to deepen the kiss. 

Draco felt this, and pushed her harder against the wall, grinding his hips against her harshly. She yelped at the action and pushed his chest away, making him stumble back a few steps.

They stared at each other, both speechless. Before she could think any more, she rushed down the stairs and towards her dorm. Her eyes didn’t see the confused people she ran past, following her with their judging eyes. She stopped in a corner without torches and leaned back against the stone walls, staring blankly and wondering what the  _ hell  _ just happened. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh shoot it got kinda ✨spicy✨ there for a minute. Woah kids, slow your roll.


	6. The Baths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After her confrontation with Malfoy, Anastasia needed to clear her head, so she went roaming around the castle at night.

Chapter 6- Confrontation 

That night was the worst sleep she had ever had. To be completely honest, Anastasia didn’t know if she even got any sleep, spending hours on end tossing and turning. Her head was buzzing with thoughts of her encounter with her long time bully. She tried to recall any time they had flirted with each other, but nothing came to find.  
Well, he obviously doesn’t fancy me. But if that’s true, then why did he go in first? Was it just to torture me? Maybe he’s trying to make me have feelings for him. Whatever it is, I won’t have it!  
“Well, if I’m going to be muttering and tossing all night, maybe I can sneak out and do it in the halls?”  
Contemplating the ever so risky move, she decided to do it. She figured that if she was caught, she could just say that she was on prefect duties. She checked her clock as she crawled out of her comfortable bed. Three in the bloody morning.  
As her bare feet padded through the halls, her thoughts remained in the astronomy tower. The cold stone wall pressed hard against her back, her front being warmed by the towering blonde, and his cold eyes that stared at her. His presence alone made her so angry, which was something she hated. She was supposed to be a Hufflepuff, for god's sake. Kind, never hateful, innocent, not making out with a Malfoy after slapping him across the face!  
She groaned loudly, staring up at the ceiling in dismay. Suddenly, a skeevy voice belonging to Filch, and the meowl of Mrs. Norris approached quickly. Knowing she was an awful liar, she booked it into a random door and made her way to the back of the room. Their footsteps echoed past the door, which allowed Stasia to let out a sigh of relief. After adjusting to the light in the room, she looked around to adjust to her new surroundings.  
The prefect’s bathroom.  
“Oh, shoot.”  
She knew she wasn’t allowed to be in there. The privilege was reserved for older prefects only, something Cedric had boasted about many a time. Yet here she was, staring at the glowing waters. Stasia couldn’t help but go over and test the temperature, and damn did magic make the perfect bath.  
She scanned the room, making sure nothing suspicious was going on, and started to unbutton her pajamas. She only stripped to her underwear, well aware that Myrtle could come in any second, and slid her lower body into the bath. A long sigh came out of her mouth as she adjusted to the heat. The bubbles tickled her chin, and made it so she could only smell the clean, calming smell of whatever magical product was used in the water.  
The door opened cautiously, unbeknownst to Anastasia, and Cedric walked into the room. He almost dropped the gold egg in his hands when he saw a head poking out of the bubbles. It was too solid to be Moaning Myrtle, so he was relieved in that sense.  
“Hey, who’s there?”  
Stasia whipped towards the door as fast as she could, instinctively covering her almost bare body with bubbles. When she saw it was Cedric, some of the tension was released from her body.  
“Cedric! Bloody hell you scared the shit out of me.”  
They both chuckled and looked away from each other. Cedric caught himself staring at the dark-haired girl in the bath, face framed with wet hair and body glittering with drops of shining water. The blue light made her pale skin look iridescent, and he couldn’t help but want to feel it in that moment. He became aware of how much he missed seeing her and being around her. Before he could think anything else, his feet carried him towards her quite eagerly.  
“Mind if I join you? I was kind of hoping to test something out with this egg here.”  
Anastasia looked curiously at the shining egg. She rose out of the water to get a better look at the strange trophy.  
“Why on earth are you taking a suspicious golden egg into the bath with you?”  
“I, well, you see,” Cedric stumbled on his words suddenly while his eyes raked along her exposed skin, water and bubbles dripping down her torso, “I was told that the bath was a good place to contemplate. So here I am, about to get in the bath. And here you are, in the bath already…”  
“Do you want some privacy with your egg, Ceddie?” Stasia said this with sarcasm dripping off her tongue, her eyebrow arched at the shifty boy standing awkwardly in front of her.  
“No, no, I want to spend some time with you too. As long as the egg can join, the second challenge is soon and I really have to figure this out.”  
“Alright then, are you just going to come in the bath in your cute little pjs, Diggie?  
He smiled down at his yellow and black striped flannels and started to unbutton them, baring his chest to the tinted light. Through extensive quidditch playing and training for the rigorous tournament challenges, he had become very toned. His muscles seemed to ripple in the glimmering reflection of the water, and Stasia made a point of turning her eyes away. He saw this and grinned, sliding his matching sweats off and folding his garments in a neat pile next to the pool.  
“Don’t worry Zee, I’m not going to march around nude in front of someone, I do have some decency.”  
She turned towards him and saw he had boxers on, ones that matched his previous attire. She snickered at his yellow and black underwear, which made him squint his eyes at her playfully. He threw water in her face, which made her let out a quiet scream. They started attacking each other with the bubbles, laughing and splashing like they were 10 again. Stasia jumped at him and punched his chest lightly, ushering him towards the edge of the bath.  
She grabbed the egg and attempted to quickly get away from Cedric, but he grabbed her fleeting frame and pulled her close. She gasped at the sudden pull and fell back into his firm chest, laughing. He reached around her shoulders and gently grabbed the egg. He paused for a minute, looking at her glittering face in wonder. She turned her head back towards him, wondering why he had stopped, and met his blue eyes. They stood in that position for a moment, smiling and staring.  
When Cedric began to reach his hand to her jaw, she looked away. Her cheeks were flushed, burning with embarrassment. It wasn’t because of what they were doing, but because of what was happening in her head. She wanted Cedric to kiss her in that moment. They were alone, almost completely undressed, and in a hot bath. It felt almost planned.  
“I think I’ll leave you to figure out the egg, Ceddie. I’m finding myself rather tired after that water fight,” she chuckled, climbing out of the bath, “You don’t happen to have a towel, do you? I might have wandered in here accidentally, and very unprepared for swimming.”  
“Classic Scamander, spontaneous, but so unlucky,” he joked, grinning mischievously.  
“Classic Diggory, sneaking into occupied spaces with mysterious large eggs and getting naked with girls,” she quipped back, giving him the very same grin. But this seemed to stir something in him, as he clambered out of the water and over to her.  
“Hey, you know you’re not just some girl. You’re my best friend! And I don’t think you really mind my almost nakedness, I mean, look at you. You’re blushing, Zee.”  
“I-I am not blushing, Diggie. I’m just warm from the bath,” she couldn’t help the blush deepening on her face as Cedric inched closer to her. His chest was dripping with water, and his wet hair hung over his face.  
She didn’t feel the need to back away, like she did with Malfoy in the tower. Rather, she couldn’t move. She didn’t know where to move. If she went forward, that would mean touching a wet, scantily-clad, muscle bound Cedric Diggory. If she touched him again like this, her mind fuzzy and decisions faulty from her tired state, she wouldn’t stop herself from doing something she’d regret at a normal time. But if she backed away, she could be stranded in the hall, barely dressed and wet. So her feet stood in their place, unmoving as Cedric slowly approached her.  
“I think you’re blushing, Stasia. And you know what else I think? I think you’re thinking the same things as me.”  
“I don’t know what you’re thinking, Digs, I’m no mind reader.”  
“Can I show you then? If you don’t mind.”  
All she could do was nod. Her mouth was opened slightly, but words wouldn’t seem to come out, no matter how hard she tried.  
Cedric was centimeters away from her, and his hand returned to her jaw. He tilted her head up slowly, making sure he could see her eyes, looking for any fear. But all he saw was a strange, dark look that he had never seen on her before.  
Anastasia couldn’t bear the tension any longer. She wasn’t thinking of Malfoy, or her loneliness, or anything of that sort. All she could think of was the smell of Cedric’s warm cologne, the heat from his skin, and how close they were. It wasn’t close enough for her, though. Her sleep deprived brain wanted less space, and more warmth to counteract the chill her wet hair and clothing was instilling inside her.  
She closed the gap slowly, with a tenderness her encounter with Draco severely lacked. His lips were soft, and barely grazed hers before he pulled back slightly. His hands travelled to the small of her back, and he nestled his nose in the crook of her neck.  
“You should go and sleep now, love. No classes tomorrow, but there is a match.”  
He kissed the top of her head, and he squeezed her into a gentle hug.  
“You can use my towel, I might be here for a while.”  
She smiled at him and pushed his hair back out of his face.  
“Thank you, good sir. Night night, Cedric.”  
She yawned and picked up his towel, patting herself dry. She soon encountered a problem, looking at her wet undergarments with a confused look on her face. Stasia looked back up at Cedric and he nodded, understanding what she meant.  
He turned around, trying hard not to imagine what she looked like as she was undressing completely. She tapped his shoulder, ushering him out of his thoughts. “Can I borrow your sweats, Ceds?”  
“Of course, I can just apparate to my room after all. Feel free to keep them, I heard that apparently someone thinks they look funny.”  
She giggled and pulled the sweats up around her waist, rolling them a few times so they weren’t too long. Hugging him, she picked up her wand from the pile of clothing and left the bathroom, unaware of the longing stare following her from behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ksjsjdhsks I was planning on writing smthn else but this just came to me so, now you have to read it too.


	7. Below the Ground

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s the day of the second challenge, dealing with mermaids in the Black Lake. Anastasia worries for Cedric, and is called to Dumbledore’s office for a special task.

Chapter 7- Below The Ground

Anastasia sat impatiently in the library, tapping her foot on the carpet and fiddling with her fingers. Her mind was racing beyond belief, thinking of everything that could happen at the challenge today. Not even Cedric knew the full extent of what would happen. All he found from the egg in the bath was that mermaids would be involved.

Even this small of a detail was enough to send her into panic. Mermaids were mysterious creatures, and very unpredictable. The Ministry of Magic classified them as XXXX. Who knew if Cedric and Harry could handle the rest of the Merpeople residing in the Black Lake, let alone mermaids. Stasia’s eyes teared up and the pain in her chest amplified, making her eyes start to tear up.

Her breath came in quick pants, like she was running down the dark hall again, leaning off the tower balcony, crying, falling, and suddenly-

“What the hell is wrong with you?”

Her eyes, blurry from the tears, darted up to meet the pale face of Malfoy. She couldn’t make out his expression, but his face seemed strange. Words twisted themselves in her throat, coming out choked and unintelligible. She could only hide her face in her hands and try to breathe normally.

“Hey, I’m talking to you-,” his hard exterior dropped when he saw her breath barely exiting her lungs, eyes spilling out tears, and shaking hands, “ _ shit _ .” 

He ran towards the library doors, searching in a panic.  _ Where the hell is that stupid ginger when someone actually needs him? _

He finally spotted a flash of red in the sunlit hall, and raced after it. When Draco caught up to the twins, he was slightly out of breath. He tapped on the shoulder of the one closest to him, and the redhead whipped around with a goofy laugh still hanging on his lips. However, this laugh immediately vanished when he caught sight of the boy trying to get his attention.

“Oh, hello  _ Malfoy _ ,” the twin’s voice was sickeningly sweet, but his eyes flashed with disdain. It was no secret that the Malfoys hated the Weasleys, and the feeling was very much mutual the other way around.

“Look,  _ Weaslebee _ , no time for your blatant stupidity. Your girl, Scamander, she’s having some sort of issue. In the library. You should go, quickly.”

Fred and George looked at each other, confused and alarmed, and sped as quickly as they could to the library. George’s eyes darted around the large room, searching for the girl in Hufflepuff robes. But it wasn’t his eyes that found her, rather his ears that caught the small sounds Anastasia let out as she fought to regain control of her breathing.

He ran to her and instantly enveloped her in a hug, smoothing her brown hair in an attempt to slow her shaking. She pushed her face into his shoulder and shuddered. 

“Darling, darling, it’s alright. Take some deep breaths with me, alright love? Breath in for four seconds, out for five, okay?” 

They breathed in and out together, his hands stroking her arms up and down quickly. Fred sat beside his brother, occasionally whispering things to her for comfort. Eventually, the pain in Stasia’s chest mostly subsided, allowing her to take deep inhales.

“Bloody hell, you had us right scared Anastasia. Are you alright now?”

Stasia rested her head against George’s shoulder and closed her eyes, finding comfort in his warm, homey smell. 

“Sorry you had to see that, boys, but I am glad you were here,” she paused, thinking for a minute before turning to Fred,

“How come you boys always come exactly at the right time? It’s like you’re using some Marauders Map for emotions.”

“Well I don’t know about all that, but I’ll tell you, I’d rather have the actual map so we could scare some blokes. Do you remember the look on Lee’s face when we caught him trying to snog some Ravenclaw girl? Absolutely priceless!” 

They all laughed and thought about the pranks they pulled together on unsuspecting students. Soon enough their laughter died down, the twins wrapped Anastasia in a hug and stood up. Fred started to walk away, but George stayed behind to whisper something in Stasia’s ear.

“ _ Can you meet me in the halls outside the Gryffindor commons? Around, let’s say 9, shall we? _ ” 

He winked at her and gave a small wave goodbye after she agreed with a nod and a smile. As the Weasley twins sauntered away, likely formulating a new prank in their minds, her own mind trailed off to Cedric once more. 

“Ahem, Ms. Scamander, may I borrow you for just a moment?” 

Stasia looked up to see Professor McGonagall, politely stood next to the sofa where she was sitting. She nodded and stood up, trailing after the green robed witch until they reached Dumbledore’s office.

“Professor, am I in trouble for something?”

Minerva looked at her and smiled.

“Oh no, of course not dearie. Dumbledore and I will explain everything once we are all in the office. Now, come come, we cannot keep the headmaster for very long.”

“Yes, Professor.”

McGonagall spoke the password, which was of course some sort of candy Dumbledore favored, and walked up the stairs. Anastasia followed behind, spinning with the golden griffin statue. 

“Ah, the final addition to the challenge. Good morning, Miss Scamander.”

She smiled at him, and looked at the other students in the office with her. When she saw Hermione, Ron, and Fleur’s sister Gabrielle, she tilted her head in confusion. They returned her confusion, not knowing at all what was going on themselves. 

“Now, you may be wondering why you’re all here. The reasoning is simple, students, but we simply need your absolute consent to go through with it. You see, this second challenge is one of great risk, for not only are the contestants’ lives in danger, but your’s shall be as well. We shall be placing protective spells on you so you do not drown or freeze, but the mermaids are unpredictable when challenged. Harry will be rescuing you, Ronald, Krum will be rescuing Hermione, Fleur will be saving you, Gabrielle, and Cedric shall save you, Anastasia. Do you all agree to be put in the Black Lake to be saved by your respective contestants?”

Gabrielle shook her head, confident in her sister’s ability to save her. Ron looked confused by Dumbledore’s long explanation, but agreed anyway. Hermione was frowning, seemingly in deep thought about something, but nodded nonetheless. Anastasia was scared of being a pawn in the tournament, but also knew her best friend would never let her drown, so she nodded along with Hermione and looked at the headmaster patiently.

“Very good. Professor McGonagall, please escort the students down to the lake. Good luck to you and your champions!” 

Anastasia’s eyes finally opened, and she gasped in the cold air. She was soaking wet and freezing from the Scottish climate, mixed with the cold water she was just submerged in. During the whole challenge, she had been unconscious. None of them had been conscious while they waited for their friends to save them, but as soon as they broke the surface of the water the spells had worn off. 

She clutched the arm that was tightly holding her waist, warm and muscular. The cheering crowd attacked her senses and everything was a blur. As soon as she was pulled onto the platform, someone wrapped a towel around her shivering body and pulled her into their chest. Even through the smell of the lake and the fresh air, she could smell Cedric’s cologne.

Stasia looked up at his smiling face and felt safe finally, burying her face in his shoulder and laughing. In his protection, the noise didn’t seem so loud and the bite of the cold wasn’t as harsh as before. The only thing she could hear was Dumbledore announcing that Cedric had won the second challenge. 

Later that night there was a massive celebration in the Hufflepuff commons for Cedric’s victory. They lifted him on their shoulders and chanted his name, praising his performance. As soon as he was back on the floor, the girls were all giggling and trying to talk to him, but he walked to where Anastasia sat and hugged her tightly. 

“I was worried when I didn’t see you in the stands. I guess it was because you were being held captive by mermaids, huh?”

They both laughed and he motioned for her to move to the side on the couch. 

“So, we really haven’t hung out together properly since I was chosen for the tournament. Can you meet me here later tonight?” 

Anastasia shuffled her fingers and looked up at Cedric’s damp hair, brushing it out of his face. 

“Sorry Digs, I promised someone else that I’d see them at 9. How about tomorrow, we can go down to Hogsmeade and get some butterbeer. And definitely candy too, I’ve been wanting some liquorice ropes.”

He looked down at her hands and held them still, smiling when she started to apologize again. 

“I’ll buy you all the liquorice ropes you want. You know I love to feed your craze for sweets,”

He kissed the top of her head and stood up again, returning to his other friends and telling them about the trials of the lake. Stasia glanced at the clock, noting the time. 8:45, 15 minutes until she had to meet George. Always one for being early, she decided to just go and wait for him outside his commons. 

  
  
  



	8. Lord and Lady

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anastasia and George sneak out for a well deserved break, but he brings up a sensitive, if not confusing, subject that changes the night completely.

Chapter 8- Lord and Lady

After standing for 10 minutes outside the painting of the fat lady, Stasia sighed and sat down. It was 9:03, and she knew George was never late. There was no sign of people in the common room, and only the wind could be heard in the halls. Filch was nowhere to be seen, but she was still wary of being caught.  
What if he forgot with all the excitement of the tournament?   
“No, that doesn’t sound like something George would do.”  
“What doesn’t sound like something I would do, darling?”  
She jumped at the sudden appearance of the tall ginger. He chuckled and held out his hand to help her up. She pulled herself up and poked his chest.  
“Forget to meet me, Weasley! You’re late, by the way.”  
“Well, I’m very sorry, love. I know, it’s so hard to go without my amazing company for too long. Miss me?”  
“You know, George, I’m about to turn around and walk back to my room right about now.”  
“Oh, no you do not,” George then took her hand and whisked her out to the courtyard. They both laughed as they ran past the walls and onto a moonlit hill, where George had previously laid a blanket on the cold grass.   
“Alright, sit down now, on the blanket, let’s go!”  
She planted herself down on the blanket and looked up at George. He was quietly looking down at her, smiling with a soft facial expression.  
“Well come on Weasley, any day now. Do you want me to sit here all night until you finally decide to sit?”  
He cocked his eyebrow with a sly smile and she could almost see the gears in his head working. Stasia looked up at the towering twin, awaiting his response and buzzing with a mix of anticipation, happiness, and fear. Before she could process anything, he was tickling her sides aggressively and laughing along with her shrieks.   
“GEORGE- AH! I SWEAR-“  
He soon fell over, clutching his chest and wheezing from laughter. Stasia breathed hard and turned to look up at the stars, her smile still ghosted on her lips. George faced her and laid on his side. She shifted her body to look at him in return, and they paused while staring calmly at each other. Eventually, George looked away towards the sky like she had been a moment ago.   
Anastasia studied his side profile, lips slightly parted, chest rising and falling. His hair was a sharp contrast with the silvery moonlight, and his eyes were dark. As if he could feel her stare, his eyes turned to return her gaze. The corner of his lips turned up, and her face tingled with warmth when he moved closer. His face was unreadable, he was calm, yes, but there was something more.  
He’s almost never calm. Always plotting something crazy in his mind. It’s weird though, he’s so pretty when he’s calm.   
“Anyone ever told you that you blush a lot, Zee?”  
“No- what? No, I don’t blush, Georgie, I’m just warm.”  
George chuckled again and pressed the backs of his hands against her cheeks. She flinched at his cold fingers, making his smile wider.   
“Too cold for you?”  
“Nothing is too cold for me, Weasley. But you are very cold.”  
She took his hands in her smaller ones and shuffled closer to him, pressing them to her face. He let out a warm breath and closed his eyes, moving his hands from her face to her torso, resting his head on his other arm. Stasia noticed a shift in his face, something was troubling him. But the moment was too good to ruin, so she stayed silent. After a minute of just looking at each other quietly, he spoke up.  
“Have you been hanging out with Malfoy?”  
She drew back her hands at this question, breath hitching for a moment at the thought of Draco.  
“Me? Hanging out with Draco goddamn Malfoy? You’re pulling my leg, right George?”  
“He was the one that told us about you in the library this afternoon. If he hates you, why is he trying to warn us that you’re in trouble?”  
“Draco.. Draco told you? Why would he do that?”  
“Well that’s what I’m asking you, love.”  
“You think I know? I hate the guy just as much as everyone else, why would I have anything but disdain for Malfoy?”  
“Do you?”  
“Do I what?”  
“Do you feel something for Draco? You know, there’s a very thin line between hate and love, as they say.”  
“George Weasley. You did not seriously just infer that I love Draco Malfoy.”  
“Well do you?”  
“Jesus Christ, George, I’m leaving.”  
She jumped up to her feet and turned away quickly. Her face was burning hot and she was full of anger. How on earth could George even think she loves Draco? She felt nothing but hate for that boy, so black and ugly on the inside. Her kiss with the blonde flashed in her head, which made her even redder in the face. She drowned out George trying to get her to sit back down, feeling guilty for making his friend angry. However, she knew that she was too mad to think straight or talk rationally to her lanky ginger friend.  
He quickly appeared in front of her and grasped her arms, holding her still. George’s face was unintelligible, no matter how much Anastasia searched she couldn’t see what he was feeling. She didn’t know what to say, or what to look at, so she shut her eyes and turned her face to the sky.  
“Please look at me,” George’s voice came through strong and clear, sounding like a command rather than a plea, “Look at my face, Anastasia.”  
“George, look,” she whispered as she lowered her green eyes to meet his dark brown ones, “You of all people know, I have no love for Malfoy. You were with me all of the times when he made my day go bad, ruined a class, or just made me feel shitty. I don’t love him in the slightest, I love my friends, Maisie, Cedric, Harry, you and Fred. You know that, right?”  
“But you love me more than Fred, yeah?”  
“Oh, shut it Weasley.”  
They both smiled, and he pulled her into his chest. She breathed in deep, noting that his sweater smelled like sweets and firecrackers. It made her nose itchy, so she pulled her face away from his wooly torso and rested her face against his neck instead. He shifted at the touch of her cheek to his skin, her lips dangerously close to being pressed where he’d imagined them some times before.  
Intrusive thoughts snuck their way into his mind, of her with his Gryffindor tie wrapped loosely around her neck if she left his side in the morning, or sitting in the leather chairs in front of a fire with her legs draped over his, playing with her skirt and making her flustered in front of her friends. He shut his eyes and tried to stifle his increasingly heavy breaths, but her ear was next to his mouth and she could hear his hot, labored exhales.   
“George?” She whispered his name against his neck, and he let out an open-mouthed breath. In the past he had held back, not wanting to act on his feelings for the dark-haired Hufflepuff. He wasn’t scared of her rejection, in fact George could probably deal with it quite well. The thing was he didn’t want to lose her friendship if he did admit to her that he was possibly madly in love with her.   
But right now, with her breath on his neck and the smell of her shampoo flooding his other senses, all prior predilections seemingly dissolved. His hands moved from the small of her back to the back of her head, gently lacing his long fingers in her hair.  
“Stasia, look at me, now.”   
He slowly pulled her head up to face him with his hand that was resting in her hair and brushed the dark strands out of her face with his free hand. She let out an involuntary noise when he pulled her hair, and his eyes flashed with surprise. The chocolate brown Weasley eyes grew dark, and he quickly leaned down to press his lips against hers.   
Stasia gasped quietly, but soon returned his kiss with a submissive tone. Hungry for another noise from her, he slightly tugged her hair back again. And sure enough he got what he wanted, which made him smirk devilishly into the kiss. The Weasley boys may have looked sweet, but they took on a different attitude when things got more up close and personal.   
Her head was tilted further upwards as George started to move to her neck, placing a kiss on the delicate exposed skin. His actions made her breath catch in her throat, and he chuckled in a dark manner. He opened his lips to bite her neck, but paused for a second. She put her hands on his head and stilled his movements.   
“George,”   
“I know.”  
He drew away, holding her hand in his own. They looked at each other, not knowing whether to laugh, smile, talk, or simply walk back to their respective dorms. George, ever the inventive type, turned around and crouched down. Anastasia stood on the grass confused, looking at the redhead.  
“Well, come on then lovely, hop on,” he motioned for her to get on his back, and she couldn’t stop herself from laughing again.   
George carried her up to the castle, eventually putting her down on the stone floors and hugging her tightly. She hugged him back, still giggling quietly.   
“I’m very tired, Weasley. Do you realize that today I’ve had a panic attack, been tossed in some river to be guarded by mermaids, and attended a celebration for my savior?”   
“I do realize that, Scamander. Why someone as small as you would put yourself up to all of that, I haven’t a clue. But taking all of that into consideration, I do suspect you would be very tired, yes. Would you like me to escort you to your room, m’lady?”  
“No, m’lord, I believe I would be quite alright at walking myself, thank you.”  
They curtsied, all the while smiling at each other, seeing which one would break first. George composed himself, waved her goodbye, and turned to walk up the moving staircases to his dorms. Stasia laughed under her breath, her mind wandering to the strange occurrences of the past few months.   
As her feet led her to her dorm, she was lost in thought. Was she wrong for having these encounters with these boys? After all, they were the ones who made advances on her. But who knows what people would say. “Anastasia Scamander, kissed three boys from three different houses, what a slag.” They wouldn’t even know (or care, for that matter,) that all those boys kissed her. And it’s rather awkward to be kissed and just stand there like a limp fish, a kiss is expected to be returned.   
Her train of thought suddenly ended when someone cast a spell at her.   
“Impedimenta!”   
She almost tripped on her feet due to their sudden stop. They seemed to be stuck in that position, not petrified but held in place by the magic. Her breath wavered and she was frozen, both by the spell and fear. Who in the hell would jinx her in the halls far past curfew? Certainly not Filch, he wasn’t allowed to use magic on the students. None of the teachers, the same rule applied to them. And the prefects all knew her, and liked her, to her knowledge. But soon she found out who the spell caster was.  
“It’s well past curfew, Scamander. I never thought a Hufflepuff would go around breaking the rules like you do. Perhaps good little Anastasia was really meant to be a Slytherin after all, hmm?”  
She grimaced at the voice of the one and only Draco Malfoy.


	9. Cold Hearted Snake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Draco has jinxed Anastasia in the halls, and he does something that changes her night wildly.

Chapter 9- Cold Hearted Snake

“ _Malfoy_ ,” she gave him a fake smile and greeted him calmly. Normally she would be seething at the sight of the toxic blonde, but now she made sure to keep her temper in check. The last time she got hot-headed and angry around Draco, things got way out of hand.  
“Only a last name basis, Annie?”  
“Stop calling me that, Malfoy.”  
He sneered, displeased by her refusal, but composed himself enough to lean in close to the back of her head.  
“If you call me my name I’ll call you yours.”  
“Fine, _Draco_ ,” she huffed, “what do you want? And release me from this stupid jinx, I want to go back to my bed and sleep.”  
He gave her a dark grin and moved to her front, scanning her body obviously.  
“You mean you’re going to Weasley’s bed?”  
“ _Excuse me?_ ”  
Anastasia would’ve stepped back from Draco if she could, but instead she only gaped her mouth open and stared at him in bewilderment.  
“I saw him all over you like some virus. After all this time I thought you were smarter than this, Anastasia. Snogging a Weasley twin? You know you’re above that.”  
“You’re a creep, Malfoy, watching me?”  
Draco clutched her jaw in his pale hand and put his face next to hers so his mouth was by her ear.  
“I told you to use my first name, Anastasia. Listen to me, because if you don’t, you’ll regret it.”  
“And how will I regret it, _Malfoy_?”  
She couldn’t help but defy him. His presence made her so angry, so unlike herself. Stasia wasn’t frightened by her own change around him, though. She was more alarmed by the fact that she _liked_ how it felt when he was with her. It wasn’t a sweet presence like with Cedric, entertaining like with George, or friendly like with Harry. It was carnal and angry, and made her feel somewhat bratty.  
This rebuttal irked him, and he drew back from her ear. Draco didn’t know whether to drag her to a room by her collar at that very moment, or just leave her to be caught by Filch. Eventually, after a minute of raking her up and down with his cold blue eyes, he decided that leaving her to Filch was the best option. After all, she wouldn’t get any pleasure from that.  
And after swapping spit with a Weasley, she doesn’t deserve anything good until she learns how to behave.  
“Draco? Where are you going? You can’t leave me here, Filch will find me! Draco Malfoy, you absolute son of a-”  
Anastasia froze when she heard paws padding down the hall adjacent to hers. Malfoy had walked away by now, his dark pajamas fading away into the shadows. She reached her hands into her pocket and clutched her wand. Her brain raced to find a counter-jinx to rid her of her feet’s frozen state, but due to Moody’s terrible _(and terrifying_ ) teaching, she didn’t know a single one to reverse this stupid inabilitating jinx.  
“ _Finite Incantatem_!”  
She hissed the counter-spell out quickly and prayed that it would work. Thankfully, her legs buckled and she fell to the ground. Her legs scrambled to stand her upper body up, but they felt as if thousands of pins and needles were rushing through them. Because of this, she fell back down to the stone floor and winced in pain. Filch’s footsteps approached, and his warm lantern light flickered from around the corner. Stasia knew she had no choice, she had to apparate.  
Cedric had tried to teach her with apples and the occasional candy, but it had always turned out wonky. The apple would appear and be misshapen or squished, and the candy would usually melt. It was highly dangerous to go from sweets to witches, but there was no other way to escape. Her counter-spell had unstuck her from the spot, but hadn’t taken away the negative effects of the jinx to her body.  
She squeezed her eyes shut and thought of Cedric, everything he taught her, and where she wanted to go. Suddenly her body felt as if it was being squeezed through a tight rubber tube, and popped out onto a soft, plushy bed. When her eyes were opened, she was sitting in her prefect’s dorm. After the shock of realization, she started laughing. At first, it was a quiet laugh, then she laid back and let out a loud, heartfelt, happy laugh.  
“I made it, I actually did it! I apparated! Wait until Ceddie hears about this.”  
She breathed out, letting the adrenaline course out of her veins. As soon as all of the buzz had left her, she remembered just how tired she really was. Stasia closed her tired eyes and ruminated on the night she just endured. Eventually, she fell into a daze and sleep took over. She dreamed that she was running in the courtyard, footsteps loudly slamming behind her. Her head turned around and she saw three boys following behind her closely. Their faces were blurry, but she could tell who they were by their clothing and hair.  
The boy on the farthest left was tall and slender, a red sweater with a G stitched in it adorning his torso, and blue jeans that fitted his legs quite well. His bright and fiery red hair fluttered while he easily jogged forwards with his long legs. Next to him was a shorter figure wearing an all black ensemble of slacks, a button up, and a suit jacket. He had telltale white-blonde hair that was fixed into place neatly, and his hands were decorated with black rings. The last one on the far right had a simple long sleeved Hufflepuff shirt that was just tight enough to show the outline of his muscles. His thick, golden brown hair blew in the wind that flew by his face as he ran.  
George, Draco, and Cedric. They chased her with feverish energy, occasionally turning to try and stop the boy next to them. Eventually, they slowed down and started to actively fight. Anastasia screamed at them to stop, but they were filled with rage and jealousy. Their fists flew and bodies tangled, seemingly starting to fuse. In mere seconds, they had blended into one body. He stared at Stasia, and she stared back in confusion.  
He was tall and fit, with a deep burnt orange sweater over a white button up. His black jeans were tightly fit on his lower half. He had icy blue eyes with a ring of warm brown around the pupil, and brown eyebrows that were only a little messy. The hair that swept his forehead and barely passed his earlobes was auburn with blonde streaks, and it framed his pale white skin. Freckles were lightly splashed across his nose and cheeks, a light blush dusting the apples of his cheeks as well.  
“Who are you? Where did they go?” She questioned him in bewilderment, confused and astounded by the gorgeous man that stood in front of her.  
“ _Pick me, Anastasia. Pick me_.”  
“What do you mean? Who are you?”  
Suddenly he responded with George’s voice, “ _I’m your Georgie_ ,” then it changed to Draco’s, “ _your enemy_ ,” and again it shifted, this time to Cedric’s, “ _and your best friend_.”  
Her eyes opened quickly, and she sat up out of her hot sheets.  
_What the hell was that?_

Anastasia sat in front of her mirror for a good ten minutes, lost in her own thoughts. At this point, she was going to be late to meet up with Cedric outside the gate. But all she thought about as she slowly applied some makeup to her eyes was the dream she had the night before.  
_What did he mean, pick me? And why did all three of them say it in one body? My subconscious needs to sort stuff out._  
“Never knew you were one for late appearances, especially for your best friend.”  
She gasped in surprise at her friend’s voice in the door, dropping her mascara wand onto the floor.  
“Cedric Diggory! That cost me five galleons, how could you?”  
A pout spread across her lips and she stared up at the brown haired boy with shiny eyes. He smiled and bit his lip, trying so very hard not to laugh at the display in front of him. Anastasia would often use her pouty face to guilt him into hugs, usually when he had made fun of her for something. Over the years, the effect on him had faded.  
“I forgive you for being late, Staze. Besides, now I get to see your lovely morning routine,” he flashed her an award-winning smile, and she couldn’t help but melt. Much like the sweets they both adored, Anastasia was a bit addicted to the pretty face of her best friend.  
“Move a bit, won’t you? I must witness the beauty!”  
He picked her up by the waist and spun her around, sitting her back down on the edge of the small bench in front of her mirror. The dark wood creaked under the sudden weight, and she pulled Cedric down onto it next to her. He grinned at her with a twinkle in his eyes, something she always noticed about him when he was truly happy.  
“Well, Digs, I’ve got to dress now. So close your eyes or face my wrath!”  
“I think I could endure the wrath of a 5’3” Hufflepuff girl such as yourself, Stasia. After all, I’m a TriWizard Champion.”  
She punched his shoulder playfully with a grin on her face. Of course he was joking, Cedric was never one to boast his accomplishments out to everyone. He was a good guy, not some douchey show off like Cormac McLaggen, and she loved him for it.  
“Well, if you’re the TriWizard Champion then I must disrobe immediately! How could I not for the wizard-famous Cedric Diggory, future winner of the TriWizard Tournament and gorgeous babe.”  
“You think I’m a gorgeous babe? Why, I’m honoured! Anastasia Scamander herself, witch prodigy and carer of animals, titled me a gorgeous babe.”  
“And I wasn’t lying! Look in that mirror, quite gorgeous if I do say so myself.”  
She chuckled and started to unbutton her pajama shirt. Her and Cedric had known each other for four years, of course they had seen each other in underwear. But now, Cedric couldn’t help the pull of his eyes to look at her in the mirror. His eyes dragged down her torso and he felt bashful of the intense gaze that lingered on her scantily-clad person.  
What he didn’t realize was that that heavy stare was felt by his friend, and that she was blushing profusely under it. Still, her hands continued to slide her shirt off along with her sweats, and she set them by her bed. Her eyes flitted up to Cedric’s in the mirror, and she could sense his surprise when she smiled and panned her gaze back down to the floor. The tension was unbelievable, and Cedric didn’t know whether to stand up right in that moment and kiss her, or cover his eyes with his hands and profusely apologize.  
Stasia felt compelled to make a move before she was too afraid to anymore. Before he could decide what to do, she took his hand and pulled him to get off the seat.  
_I don’t know what the hell I’m doing, but I know I want to do this right now. And I’ve denied everything I’ve felt for too long._  
His hand touched on her back gingerly, and she lifted her own hand to the nape of his neck. They looked into each other’s eyes, trying to get wordless confirmation before pulling in. Anastasia nodded at him, and within seconds his lips were on hers. There was an urgency behind it that they both could feel, the result of years of close encounters and lingering touches. The placement of his hands moved from her back to cup her jaw, which made her feel comforted in a strange way.  
When they pulled away for air, she smiled and released a small laugh, which he returned. They stood for a moment, looking into each other’s eyes and holding one another close. After a moment, Cedric cleared his throat and stroked her dark hair slowly.  
“ _So_ , Hogesmead?”  
She laughed and put her face in his chest, her shoulders shaking. The vibrations of his warm laugh buzzed on her face and she gripped him closer. His sweater smelled like pine needles and fresh snow, which she had often fallen asleep smelling when he gave her a shirt or sweater of his to wear to bed.  
“Let’s hit it, Diggory.”


	10. Get Jealous

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cedric and Anastasia head out to Hogesmead to get some well deserved alone time. But at the end of the day they both end up with different dates.

Chapter 10- Get Jealous

Anastasia and Cedric perused the shelves in HoneyDuke’s thoroughly, as if they were trying to find something they hadn’t memorized the place for already. The whole place had the familiar smell of sugar and happiness, something that filled her veins with serotonin. Since it was a Sunday, the store was packed full of sweet-toothed patrons that rustled through the aisles of candy. It was so loud that Cedric had to yell to have his voice reach Stasia’s ears.

“I’m going to go grab some chocoballs, meet me outside when you’ve picked something!” 

She nodded and managed to squeeze through the crowd to get the three things she most adored. Acid pops, liquorice wands, and pumpkin pasties. 

_ If all these people could just move a little! Merlin’s beard… _

As soon as she slapped some money down on the counter to pay for her sweets, she pushed her way out of the store and into the cold streets. She looked around for Cedric, but he wasn’t where he said he would be. Instead, she caught sight of him across the way. He was leaning against a wall, talking to a girl with black hair. Anastasia recognized her as Cho Chang, a Ravenclaw girl in her year. 

“Well, they look  _ cozy _ ,” she said to herself with a frown, “he’s getting awfully close.”

“He does look a little frisky, I’d say” 

She smiled when she heard the silky smooth voice of one Weasley twin. It was like an exploding bonbon, smooth and sweet with a bite of exciting flair. His hands found her shoulders and he leaned down to talk in her ear.

“Why are you talking to yourself about the Champion, Stasie? I would’ve thought that you’d be completely enamored by me already.”

“If you must know, Georgie, I was wondering why my very good  _ friend  _ Cedric was talking to Cho. I don’t think I’ve ever seen them together before, is all.”

“Oh no, they’re together all the time when you’re not around. Must be very good  _ friends _ .”

She turned her head to narrow her eyes at the boy who was lingering by her ear. In turn, he gave her a cheeky smile and wrapped his arms around her stomach. He kissed the side of her face and tickled her torso. She started to squirm and laugh loudly, which drew Cedric’s eyes towards the pair. Anastasia saw him ball his fists while he stared at the ginger who had moved to her side. George took her hand and tugged it gently, a signal that he wanted her to follow him. 

“George- what about Cedric? I came here with him.”

“Looks like he’s found someone else to walk around with, love, he’ll be fine! Besides, Fred’s with Angelina and I have to have a bright mind with me for something quite fun.”

“And what about Lee?”

“Busy trying to find a date to the ball for himself. Quite boring, if I do say so myself, don’t know why he wouldn’t want in on this little prank.”

She could tell that he was indeed up to something fun by the mischievous glint in his eyes, and she had to admit that her interest was quite peaked. With one more look at Cedric, who was still rather close to Cho, she followed George. Jealousy was a bad thing, she knew that, but she wanted to be petty. It was an hour after she and Cedric had kissed, and now he had gone back to flirting with gorgeous girls. Except this time, both parties seemed to be interested. With a green demon whispering in her ear, she made sure Cedric saw her running off with the lanky Weasley twin.

“So, how is this prank going to work, exactly?”

George beamed when he got to explain his excellent planning to the equally bright girl crouching next to them. As he began, he rubbed his hands together and raised his eyebrows. 

“Okay, you see that tile right there? We’re going to charm it so when stepped upon, it turns into a sort of spout. And then, whoever happens upon it is sprayed with water! It’ll look like they’ve, well, had an accident, if you catch me.”

“Really, Weasley, that’s all?”

His dark smile revealed that he had much more planned, and she couldn’t help but smile back. 

“But this water will be special water, you see. It will never dry! The water will simply stay wet on their pants until we wish it to be dry. How does that sound?”

“Quite excellent, Georgie, excellent indeed. Let’s get working so we can see this play out!”

When the first person finally stepped on the stone, she and George burst out in laughter from where they stood, watching the prank play out. A Gryffindor stood, red-faced and frazzled, while a ways away the pranksters hid, clutching their chests and heaving in air. It wasn’t the prank that made them laugh, but the reaction. The reaction was always the kicker, the thing that made it worth it. It was the thing that they all reveled in above all things.

“Did you see his face Georgie? It was absolutely  _ wicked! _ ”

George turned to her and placed a quick kiss on her lips in celebration. Stasia’s eyes widened in surprise, but her smile when he pulled away invited him to go in for another. This one was longer, and full of excitement. George’s kiss was very like him, fun and firey, but simultaneously sweet and comfortable. His hands pulled her closer to his body, longing for more warmth in the cold Scottish weather. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his head down further to reach her better, which made him smile. He put his forehead on hers and chuckled.

“You’re so  _ small _ , how do you ever manage?”

Stasia feigned shock, inhaling a gasp. 

“How rude of you Weasley! I manage just fine, thank you. Besides, who needs to reach things when you’ve mastered Wingardium Leviosa!” 

“Mastered it, have we? That’s quite a claim, can Ms. Scamander really follow it through?”

She put her hand on her chest in indignation and backed away from the Weasley boy. 

“If you don’t believe me, Mr. Weasley, I’m afraid I’ll have to leave.”

“Oh, no you don’t,” he encircled her waist once again and pulled her in. 

But this time, he squeezed her in a hug and rested his chin on her head with ease. They both stood there in peace, simply enjoying each other’s company. These moments with George were rare, and only his closest friends seldom saw it. The times where he was quiet, not a thought whizzing through his brain (which was usually occupied with marvelous plots and shenanigans). And similarly, Anastasia’s head was calmed by these infrequent affectionate times. It felt inviting and familiar, like finally laying in your bed after a long day out of the house. 

Suddenly, a cry came from the tile walkway. Stasia and George frantically scrambled to see who had fallen into their trap, but she tripped on her own feet and fell out in view of the path. When she looked up, she was greeted with the scowling face of Severus Snape. His trousers were dripping with the enchanted water, and it left a rather large black mark on the slate grey fabric. 

“Misses Scamander, detention. For the next week.” 

“ _ Shit _ .”

“Excuse me?”

“ _ Nothing _ ! Sorry, very sorry, won’t happen again! It’s been great, I’ll be off, thank you sir, sorry again!”

She picked up her feet and speed-walked down the path as quick as she could, trying her hardest not to break out in laughter at the thought of Snape and his drenched pants. The quick footsteps trailing behind her let her know that George was following close behind and had escaped Snape’s wrath. As soon as she had rounded the corner into the castle, Stasia’s facade broke and her laughter echoed through the hall. She fell to her knees and clutched her sides, tears coming to her eyes. Soon after George was next to her, cracking up almost as violently as his friend had. 

“Merlin, that was worth every single day of detention I’m going to get! His pants! Fuck, did you see his pants?”

“Oh, I saw every bit of it! I think it may have been the best thing I’ve ever done without Fred.”

“And somehow you still managed to escape the punishment, Georgie.” 

“Hey, I’m not the one who tripped over their own feet and right in front of  _ Snape _ , you brought that all upon yourself, m’lady.”

Anastasia scoffed and pushed George’s shoulder in a playful manner. He gave back a wide smile and flicked her forehead. By the look on her face, he knew that he was going to have to start running pretty soon. 

“George Weasley, you flicked me.”

“I may have, possibly.”

Sure enough, she rushed at him with an evil smile. Luckily, he had long legs that could carry him much faster than her smaller ones, and he raced far ahead of her. After a good chase, he slipped into the common rooms and pulled her in with him. She tried to protest, but when she saw Harry, Ron, and Hermione sitting on the couches, she made her way over to them. 

“Anastasia? What are you doing in the Gryffindor commons?”

“She’s with me, Harry! We were just poking a little fun back in the courtyard, and a certain Severous got caught.” 

Hermione’s mouth dropped when she heard this.

“Severous as in Snape? The potions teacher? The one who could skin someone alive for brewing an Alihotsy Draught with crushed alihotsy instead of chopped? You’ve got to be joking!”

George and Stasia prodded each other with their elbows and chuckled, a shared lack of caring between the two. So what if they had detention for a week, or even a month? The prank was worth it almost 100% of the time. Except for the time they set bats in McGonagle’s class. She just caught them all in her cat form and made them give her 5 galleons to cover their removal. No one even panicked! Well, except Neville, but he panics at everything. 

“Ah, my dear brother! Back at last. Will you join me for a minute, we have to discuss something quite grand I’ve been thinking about this evening.”

George looked at Stasia and shrugged before he turned to his twin and walked off with him. Harry sidled up beside her and began to talk about his upcoming quidditch match. They chatted for a while before she realized how late it was, and she said her goodbyes to the trio. When she finally got back to the Hufflepuff dorm, there was someone sitting on the plush sofa. They turned to look at who had entered, and realized it was her. 

“Zee. I was wondering where you wandered off to!”

“Cedric! Hi, haven’t seen you since I left Hogesmead! How’s  _ Cho _ ?”

He furrowed his brows at her tone, but decided to answer back with the same one. 

“Cho is very well, she kind of stayed with me after you and George left. How’s he, by the way? Probably pretty good, considering he got to spend the afternoon with you. You two looked like you were having fun, so I didn’t want to interrupt by asking you to come and walk around with me again.” 

Now it was Stasia’s turn to scrunch her face. 

“We did have fun, yeah, probably less than you and Cho though. She is very  _ nice  _ to you, isn’t she. Well, to everyone, but especially you. Wonder why that is, I certainly don’t know. Do you?”

“Okay,  _ what _ is up with you?”

“ _ Me _ ? What’s the matter with  _ you _ , Cedric? After this morning, you leave me outside of HoneyDukes for Cho? And by the looks of it, both of you seemed  _ very  _ close!”

“Not nearly as close as you and George! Why was he kissing your cheek, Anastasia?”

Stasia stammered, not quite knowing how to come back from that. She knew that she had no real reason to be upset with Cedric, it wasn’t his fault that Cho liked him. Hell, everyone loved him! Was she just being paranoid and jealous? Yes, and she knew it. But still, her mind was plagued with those ugly emotions no matter how aware of them she was. 

“Are you two,” he paused and calmed himself before continuing, “are you and George involved somehow? Like, more than friends?” 

“Ceddie…”

“Please, tell me. Rip the bandaid off. It would be better to know now than to sit and wonder until it’s too late and he has you.”

“All that happened was a kiss,” she used whatever Slytherin genes were in her to skate around the truth without completely lying, “it was late, I was very tired, I didn’t really know what I was doing until it was done. I don’t know what it meant, Cedric, I really don’t. And now, I’m not sure what our kisses meant either.”

“You kissed.”

He sat down and looked at the fire. She sat down across from him and studied his expressions. Usually, he wore a kind smile that dazzled the crowds, but now his face was clouded with something else. It wasn’t jealousy or anger, rather some unintelligible look of disappointment. 

“Ced, I didn't know what we were. To be honest, I  _ still _ don’t know.”

“I don’t either, Anastasia. But I do know that I’m hurt, and I think you are too.”

Her eyes pricked with tears, not knowing what was to come. She moved onto the couch next to him and put her hand on his large ones. They were cold from spending hours in the windy chill, where she knew she should have been with him. 

“I’m sorry, Ced, you know I’m sorry. Please say you know that, please.”

All Cedric could do was look into her eyes, which released a single tear that rolled down her pink cheek. 

“I think for now, we both need to sort out stuff. You know I will always be here for you, anytime you need. But for you to figure out what I mean to you, I think it would be best if we took a little time to ourselves.”

“Cedric, please,”

“I already know everything I feel towards you, I have for so long now. But I don’t want to make you choose between me and Weasley, that’s something you have to do yourself. And when you make your choice, come back to me no matter what it is. I’m first and foremost your best friend.”

“Ced,” at this point tears were streaming down her face, her mouth open in despair, “kiss me, please.”

He cupped her cheek, wiping a tear away, but he didn’t lean in like she did. Instead, he stilled her head and closed his eyes, exhaling a breath of sadness.

“Stasia, if I kiss you now, I’ll never be able to walk away.” 

With that, he got up from the sofa and walked up to his room, leaving her in front of the fire. 

Once she was sure that he was gone, she let out a loud sob, cradling her face in her hands and heaving in breaths. She had never wanted to be apart from Cedric, or hurt him. Though he never admitted it, she knew his heart ached just as much as hers. All the confusion, sadness, and anger was let out in her bout of tears. She didn’t know how much time went by, but when she wiped the last salty drop away from her chin, she walked up to her own personal dorm and immediately fell asleep. Today had been so amazing, but tonight changed everything. Now she had to make a choice, a choice that Cedric hadn’t even factored Draco into. And neither had she, until that very moment when she realized that once they found out they were pawning for the same girl, there would be massive heartbreak. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m kind of proud of that one line from Ceddie though... it’s so sad.


	11. Golden Boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the quidditch game, Harry gets sent to the infirmary. Anastasia wants to avoid Cedric and George, so she decides to spend some time with her old friend.

Chapter 11- Golden Boy

It had been two weeks since Cedric’s confrontation. Dodging him had become increasingly harder, as he decided the Hufflepuff team needed more training. They were at practice three days a week, and constantly exchanged glances from their respective brooms. Her eyes were full of regret, while his were blank. She was wracked with guilt whenever she saw him or George, so Anastasia decided to spend more time with her other Champion friend, Harry Potter. 

Currently, she was standing and cheering wildly in the stands next to Maisie in the Hufflepuff seats. Harry whizzed around on his broom, chasing the snitch. Most seekers were serious and frustrated with the tricky little ball, but Harry simply smiled as he bolted after it. His love for the sport had been passed down by his father, apparently, and he always felt happy when he had the wind whipping through his black hair. 

“GO GRYFFINDOR! DON’T GET KILLED FRED!”

Maisie screamed out at the players, trying to reach Fred Weasley's far away ears, but all of the other cheering drowned everything out. However, Stasia could hear what her friend was shouting and smiled. The pair were very good together, she wished they could just reveal that they were dating already. Whenever they were together, nothing could take them apart. She stuck to him like glue and he held onto her with an iron grip.

“COME ON HARRY, SHOW THAT MALFOY HELL!”

Stasia yelled at Harry, who was quite close to where her and Maisie were standing. This time, he heard what the girls were shouting and turned to them, flashing her a wide, red faced smile. That was something she loved about when he played, his cheeks always turned pink from the heat and exertion and his hair got messed in the wind. He never held back when he played quidditch, which usually meant that Gryffindor won whenever they played. The only real challenge the team faced was when they were up against Slytherin, like they were now. The two teams battled it out ferociously, the cunning nature of the Slytherins clashing with the proud one of the Gryffindor’s. It was like an epic war whenever they played together, which made the crowds of students and teachers alike go wild.

Harry must have caught a glimpse of the snitch, because in a moment both he and Malfoy were flying next to each other at an incomparable speed. They elbowed and bashed one another, but neither one of the skilled players faltered. Anastasia lost sight of the two boys when they flew up into the sky, soaring so high up she couldn’t even make out their figures. She moved her attention to Oliver Wood, who was blocking quaffles left and right. He was a real pro, and apparently a big flirt according to some of her friends on the Gryffindor team. Stasia could tell he was definitely going to do some big things in his life.

Suddenly, Maisie shook her arm wildly and pointed up to the sky. There came the seekers, shooting face down towards the ground after the golden snitch. It looked as if they were trying to hit the ground below, they were going to fast towards the ground. Malfoy had a worried look on his face, as if he was just as afraid of them hitting the ground as she was, but Harry bore a determined smile. He was never afraid when he was up in the air, even when it looked like he was speeding to his impending doom. Only feet from the ground, Draco pulled up as much as he could. This action cost him the snitch, as Harry grabbed it in the last second. Stasia inhaled sharply as he nearly smashed into the grass face first, tumbling off his broom. After a minute, he stood up shakily and hoisted the shiny ball high in the air, the smile on his face wider than ever.

“AND GRYFFINDOR WINS!” 

Everyone except the Slytherin booth went wild, whooping and cheering as loud as they could. The field was filled with celebratory magic fireworks, and Dumbledore announced that students should start to file out to the castle. As everyone was walking out, chatting and laughing, Madame Hooch went out to escort Harry to the infirmary, his arms looking a little worse for wear. When they made it to the halls, Maisie ran over to Fred and squeezed him in a hug. 

“I thought you were a goner like six times out there Freddie! You’re amazing!”

They both laughed and looked at each other intently.

“I’m just doing my job as the best bearer on the team, what can I say?”

“You mean second best, brother!”

George came walking up from behind the pair, his eyes glued to Stasia with that Weasley twin grin. 

“You mean you’re the second best? Why yes I agree, George!”

While they bickered, Maisie and Stasia looked at each other with knowing looks. The twins never seemed to end an argument by themselves, and the two girls knew this all too well. She leaned over to her friend to whisper something into her ear.

“I’m going to go see our resident Golden Boy in the infirmary, do you mind taking care of these children?”

“It’s only fair, you did it last time. Have fun with Potter!” 

Maisie winked like she knew something Anastasia didn’t, which made her puzzled. Shaking it off, she waved to the girl who was now trying to poke Fred’s shoulder repeatedly. 

_ One day those two are going to get together, I just know it. If only they could be just a little bit less oblivious. _

When she reached the heavy doors to the infirmary, she shouldered them open and searched for her friend. Finally, she set her eyes on Harry, who was sitting in the white bed asleep. She tiptoed over to his bed, making sure to sit quietly on the chair next to it. He didn’t look too badly injured, just a couple of scrapes and a bruise where he had fallen on the grass. Still, it looked gnarly when compared to his pale skin. 

“Visiting hours end at 8:30, young lady. I have to tend to another student who apparently exploded a potion too close to his face, make sure Potter drinks this healing agent,” she pointed to a red liquid on the table next to his bed, “At least two cups!” 

And with that, the doors to the infirmary closed and she and Harry were left in the dimly lit room. His eyes had fluttered open when the doors were shut loudly, and they landed on the small girl next to him. 

“You came to see me.”

Stasia chuckled quietly at his groggy voice, obviously having received some sleeping agent beforehand. 

“Thank goodness you can still use your eyes, Golden Boy, I was worried that your glasses breaking for the 7th time would’ve done something.”

He laughed under his breath and rubbed his eyes, the sleep fading away slowly from his fuzzy brain. 

“Are they really broken? Damn, where’s Hermione when you need her?” 

“Well, I could make a shoddy attempt at it, but I can’t guarantee you’ll keep your vision.”

They looked at each other with worried smiles before laughing as quiet as they could without waking the other patients. Harry placed the crooked glasses on his nose and looked expectantly at her, waiting anxiously for the spell. They both stared in anticipation, both out of slight fear and hope. Readying her wand, she sucked in breath through her teeth before reciting the spell. 

“ _ Oculus Reparo _ ”

There was a snap, and the wires adjusted themselves to the original shape. The cracks in the glass receded back until they were nothing, and the specs shined like new. A smile broke out on her face, staring at her wand and back at his glasses. He wore his own amazed expression, looking at his friend with awe.

“Fantastic! Wow, Stasia, just wow.”

Her eyes darted up at his blue ones and her cheeks tinged with red. 

“That’s the first time you’ve used a nickname for me, Harry.” 

“Well, uh,” he looked down at his hands, “is that good?”

This display of shyness made her chuckle and reach out to touch Harry’s hand, “Of course it is, Anastasia is such a mouthful!” 

“Maybe, but I think it’s quite pretty. T-the name, the name Anastasia is pretty.”

Her face tingled with warmth at Harry’s kind words. He was always the sweetest out of her friends, albeit painfully shy when it came to the opposite gender. Despite this, Stasia was able to find her way into his heart. Harry was comfortable around her, enough so he could at least speak half-decent sentences. It all started the first time they practiced quidditch together.

**_Two years ago_ **

Anastasia had tried out for the Hufflepuff team at the start of that year, and to her surprise she managed to become a keeper. Fred and George only really knew how to beat away bludgers with bats, and Cedric was an excellent seeker, but was too busy with being captain of the team and a prefect to help her train one on one. So, her only option was to go to the golden boy, Harry Potter. 

“Harry? Hey, wait up!”

His dark hair spun along with his head when he turned to look at who called his name. Harry saw a small girl in the hall behind him, draped in large black robes. Her yellow scarf fluttered behind her as she ran towards him, so large it practically swallowed her neck. Harry knew her from his first night at Hogwarts, but they hadn’t talked much the remainder of the year. 

“You’re friends with Oliver Wood, right? The keeper?”

“Uh- yes. That’s me,” he internally cringed at the choppy sentence he managed to get out. It wasn’t intentional, but pretty girls made him very nervous. And she was very pretty, long chocolate brown hair that flowed down her back in loose waves and freckles on her pale British skin. But what he was really drawn by was her green eyes, with a brown ring around her pupil and speckles of blue. Harry’s own eyes were admittedly special, but he had never seen eyes like hers.

“Since you’ve spent a lot of time with him in the field, you should know  _ some _ stuff about keeping? I really need some practice!”

“You want to practice? With me?”

She looked around awkwardly and scratched the back of her neck. Did she not make it kind of obvious that she wanted to practice? And she was talking to him, so it was a little clear who she wanted to practice with.

“Yes, you! I’ve heard you’re an extraordinary player,”

Harry’s cheeks turned pink at her compliment. Sure people always compliment him on stuff, him being the ‘Boy Who Lived’ and all, but from this girl it was different. 

“Let’s practice!”

“Oh! That’s good, sure. When? I’m free all the time, except during class of course.”

Harry never knew when he was free, with all of the crazy stuff that had happened. This year, everyone thought he was the Slytherin Heir and that he opened the chamber of secrets, for Merlin’s sake. Hermione was busy with making the Polyjuice Potion this month, so they did have some time away from the crazy. 

“How about now? Perfect practice for a weather. I mean- weather for a practice!” 

Stasia giggled at his nervous chatter, often experiencing it herself with more intimidating people. He gave her an embarrassed smile, looking up at her through his glasses. 

“I’d love to! Let’s go get our brooms and get out there Potter!”

Harry and Anastasia’s practice consisted of him tossing the quaffle up at her lightly so she could practice blocking it, and going a couple rounds around the pitch on the brooms. By now the sun was low in the sky and they were both pretty tired of tossing and blocking. 

“So Harry, what do you think of a final race?”

He glanced down at his Nimbus 2000, and over to her standard broom. For a Hufflepuff, she was very brave. To suggest a race between his and her broom was pretty bold, but he was chivalrous enough to take her up on her offer. 

“Whoever touches every seating tower first wins. Threetwoone GO!”

She raced forward on her broom, surprising him for a moment before he took off after her. Anastasia flew the fastest she could, but of course she knew her broom could never beat his on speed. That’s why she had a plan to beat him. If there was something she could tell about Harry, it’s that last minute strategy wasn’t his style. Her plan was this- trick him with the countdown, go to the top of the stands and touch the Slytherin one first, make a sudden drop to the Gryffindor seats, make a tactical dive into the support beams, touch the base of the Ravenclaw tower, fly through the top and jump into the Hufflepuff stands. 

The plan was almost done. Harry had followed her down to the support beams where he had raced Draco, and they weaved through the wooden poles with ease. Suddenly, Harry saw her shoot out of the beams and into the air, but he was too far ahead to follow her actions. She sped away quickly, approaching the top of the Hufflepuff seats. Just as he rose out of the beams, she leaped off of her broom. Her life flashed before her eyes when her fingers nearly didn’t reach the edge. They clung to the rail with an iron grip and smiled victoriously. She had won!

Harry looked up at her hanging body, stunned by the crazy ingenious plan she had managed to pull off. Right when he was about to congratulate her, one of her hands slipped off the bar and she yelped in dismay. Her fingers became sweaty and slippery, eyes wide with fear. Harry shot up to her as fast as he could, catching her right as she fell off of the tower. 

They floated down to the grass and immediately sat down, both too shocked to make coherent sentences. She took his hand and closed her eyes, laying back in the green grass. It was cold and itchy, but the chill felt good on her flaming skin. 

“That was so…fun! Merlin, my heart is pumping.”

“Anastasia, you could’ve died! Well, not died, but broken a bone for sure! I know because I have!”

“Oh yeah, I saw that! That was crazy! But you’re the Golden Boy, so you probably can’t even die.”

Harry scrunched his face and turned to her, smiling out of confusion. 

“Golden Boy?” 

Her eyes widened when she realized that she had called him that. No one had ever said it to his face. It was a nickname of unknown origin that her and her friends used for Harry, due to his overall perfection. She winced and looked over at Harry with an apologetic smile, obviously expecting anger from him, but instead she was met with laughter. 

“I like it!”

**_Current Day_ **

Anastasia took Harry’s hand and smiled at him. She was glad that she was able to get this moment alone with him in the infirmary, he was normally busy with super coincidental occurrences that only happened to Ron, Hermione, and him. They smiled contentedly, just enjoying the peace and quiet. This gave her a chance to think about her situation further. She wondered if Harry would be able to help her a little, since he was always solving his own life problems pretty well.

“Hey Golden Child?”

“Stasia?”

“What would you do if two girls wanted to date you, and you had to choose between them?”

“Well, I wouldn’t know about girls fancying me, but I know that if some bloke and I fancied a girl, I would want her to choose whoever she wanted. Who cares if it isn’t me, I could still be her friend, right?”

“Please, Harry, you’re the Boy Who Lived, there’s plenty of girls who would fancy you.”

“Apparently I’m not the one who has to choose between two boys, Anastasia,”

He smiled down at her from his sitting position, making her roll her eyes. 

“Maybe, but that isn’t very good advice. Who do I even pick? The first one, the second one, none?”

They both pondered the situation carefully. Of course, Stasia was also thinking about Draco and that one kiss. Obviously she couldn’t tell Harry about that, they were enemies! But she did have to factor that into her choice. If George found out she had kissed the boy who called his family “poor nobodies”, he would be pretty angry. Cedric would be confused and probably sad, but wouldn’t end things over one kiss that she didn’t initiate. 

“Anastasia?”

“Hmm?”

“I asked who you were interested in.”

“Oh, well, to be honest I don’t know. What about you?”

Harry blushed a little and looked back at their hands, which were still intertwined. In all honesty, he did fancy Cho Chang a little, but that only started this year. From the moment they had sat laughing on the quidditch pitch, Harry had felt a connection to 

this Hufflepuff that was more than friendly. Those moments when her nose crinkled during a bout of laughter, or when her eyes glittered when she mastered a potion sent a warm wave though his body. Whether it was happiness or something stronger, he didn’t know.

But with the red in his cheeks and refusal to look her in the eye, Stasia knew what he felt. To her dismay, her heart skipped a beat at the thought. She squeezed his hand to make his large blue eyes meet hers, and when they did she gave him a soft smile. His eyes were beautiful, there was no denying it. Cerulean blue like the sky on a clear summer’s day. Stasia could almost get lost in them if she allowed herself to, but she refrained from staring for too long. Instead, she decided to get up. There would be no more feelings for pretty boys at Hogwarts, she couldn’t afford it!

“I’ll see you later Potter, cheers!”

Her legs stretched and she started to lift herself out of the seat next to Harry. But in seeing her move to go, he realized that she figured out how he felt. He watched her smile and wave to him, figure turning to retreat out of the large doors. This was a now or never moment, something he had to take. Harry flipped the thin white sheets off of his body, clad with a beaten quidditch uniform, and dashed to the door. He caught her hand when they were both out of the room, and they looked silently at each other as the door clanged shut.

“Hi,”

“Hello,”

“I need to tell you something,”

“Yes?”

Harry knew what to say, but the thought stuck in his throat. Instead of speaking, he decided to just act. There was only one way in his head, but it was risky. Luckily, being a Gryffindor meant he had the nerve and courage to pull it off. She felt his arms going around her form and pulling her into him. He pressed his lips against hers, and due to her surprise her mouth was slightly ajar. It made it easier for him to move them against his own, sliding his tongue along her lip. They pulled away for breath, and he looked at her face. She was blushing, eyes unable to meet his own. 

“You caught me by surprise, Potter.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Harry is hard to write fanfic about but he’s so cute I just had to...


	12. Slytherin Bastard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Harry kissed her, Anastasia needed to clear her head. But someone has taken her usual spot again, and he doesn’t feel like leaving.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a little bit of ✨spicy✨ content warning

Chapter 12- Slytherin Bastard

Madame Pomfrey had caught Harry out of bed, and sent him back immediately with a new round of sleeping draughts. Visiting hours were over, but Stasia didn’t feel like going back to bed. There were too many thoughts plaguing her mind, buzzing in her head and driving her mental. After a couple minutes of sneakily wandering the halls, she decided to walk up to the astronomy tower. 

It was the one place no students ever went after hours, except for the time she found Malfoy there. Normally it was a calm place where she could collect herself and just think, something she never really got to do anywhere else. Hogwarts was always bustling with activity during the day, and it was too risky to freely walk the castle at night. Luckily, Stasia had plenty of practice. 

Her shiny black dress shoes clicked on the hard grey stone like always, echoing quietly down the halls. She found the sound very satisfying. As soon as she reached the stairs, she stopped stepping so lightly. Filch almost never came up here, he didn’t like walking all the way up the stairs just to be met with a blast of cold air. But she liked the cold, it was much better than being too hot. 

She paused when she reached the top, peering up through the cracks just in case Dumbledore came here for some late night contemplation. He had caught her once, but instead of reprimanding her he just smiled and nodded, leaving her to her own contemplation. 

But she did not see Dumbledore, she saw someone that she had never intended on speaking to again. Draco Malfoy, leaning against the railing. He looked so calm, staring out into the cold Scottish night. A white dress shirt fluttered against his lean frame, a color she had never seen him in. Normally Draco stuck to blacks and greens, with the occasional grey mixed in. She had to admit, the white suited him quite well. 

Building up courage, she decided to go talk to him. But as soon as he heard her footsteps and turned to face her, her resolve melted. 

“Draco…”

Instead of his usual hard exterior, when he looked at her she saw a soft smile playing at his lips. She had never seen him smile when it wasn’t after he had made a rude jab at someone. Honestly, it was refreshing. It almost made her forget how awful he had treated people. But that soon went away when he saw the look on her face. It wasn’t the normal look of disdain or indignation he typically saw, rather something foreign. Was that, affection? 

“Anastasia Scamander, wandering the castle at night again, are we? You think that you would have learned from the last time I caught you. How did Filch react when he caught you, a bad little Hufflepuff all alone.”

And there it was again. Hate bubbled inside of her, threatening to burst out through her mouth. God, why could he get this reaction out of her so easily? 

“Malfoy, you-”

“Ah, tsk tsk,  _ Draco _ .”

“ _ Draco _ , yes, fine, whatever. For your information, I did  _ not _ get caught by Filch. I apparated out.”

To this, Draco gave her a look of genuine impression.

“Apparition, Anastasia, impressive. Who would’ve thought a Hufflepuff could be somewhat smart?”

“You’re a prick, Draco. And you’re ruining my spot.”

“ _ Your _ spot? Darling,” he inched himself closer to where she stood, “I was coming here before you could steal food from the kitchens without getting caught.” 

Her face grew hot at this quip. How did he even know that she had stolen food religiously as a first year? It’s not like Maisie would ever talk to him, and they never told anyone else. 

“I have a house elf who works in the kitchens when I’m in school, and I overheard him talking about a brown haired Hufflepuff sneaking in with a curly haired blonde. Sound familiar?” 

“Bloody hell… and I asked them so nicely not to tell!”

He laughed under his breath, which made Anastasia’s head bolt up to look at him. A genuine laugh from Draco Malfoy himself? What in the world was going on?

“Why the hell are you looking at me like that?” 

“You laughed…”

“So what? Never heard a laugh before, Anastasia? I highly doubt it, seeing as you’re always laughing with those stupid Weasley twins. I don’t see why you bother being around them.”

“I don’t see why you care!”

“ _Because_ ,” his body was close to hers in seconds, cold fingers holding the back of her neck tightly, “ _you’re_ _mine_.”

She froze under his touch, eyes burning into her with a white hot intensity. In that moment it was unclear whether he was going to kill her or kiss her, the fire in his eyes glittering with something dangerously familiar. 

“I- I am not  _ yours _ Draco,” 

His fingers tightened on her neck when he leaned close to her face, mouth hovering next to her ear.

“I know how I make you feel, Anastasia,”

“It’s quite obvious, Malfoy! I hate you-”

“Maybe so, but I can see beyond that. You’re so easy to see through, with those eyes. They give away everything, you know? I saw it in you before I kissed you here before, and when I jinxed you in the halls, and I see it right now.  _ Passion _ , Anastasia, there’s  _ passion _ beyond the hate you pretend to bear for me.” 

As much as she tried to deny it, in her head she knew he was right. There was something more she felt for this conniving blonde boy, beyond anger and hate. She  _ wanted  _ to be close to him, for him to berate her, tease her,  _ torture _ her. It was unexplainable.

“You’re a damn git.” 

“Now you’re just  _ trying  _ to rile me up, you little  _ bitch _ ,”

He growled into her neck, pulling her head back harshly to access it better. Stasia inhaled sharply, feeling his teeth bite into her tender skin. It was so much more different from Cedric or George, and most definitely not like Harry’s innocent kiss. There was no kindness behind it, no laughter, simply a dark smile and hungry eyes. 

His head drew back from her neck, studying the dark red mark he had made on her pale neck. It marked her, let people know she was taken, no,  _ owned _ by him. Draco didn’t know why he wanted her so badly, just a year ago he couldn’t bear to even look at her. Maybe it was because when he did, he couldn’t bring himself to look away. Sure, she was beautiful, but she was also so  _ innocent _ . He couldn’t resist her doe eyes that blinked up at him, and he loved filling them with lust.

“You want me, Anastasia, admit it. Admit it, and I might bring myself to kiss that pretty mouth.”

She knew it was bad, but  _ Merlin _ , was it what she wanted. He was bad, he was evil, he was a villain, and she knew it. The thing was, she  _ liked _ it. Being  _ bad _ , being  _ his _ . No one else treated her like he did. They were too tender, too loving. Sure, those moments of compassion between her and other people were nice, but not nearly as desirable as the ones with Draco. But still, she wouldn’t give him the pleasure of admitting she wanted him. His ego could use a little knocking down once in a while. 

“No- no I don’t, Malfoy. You’re a bully, and a bastard.”

With that, his grip on her neck came loose. Draco stepped away from her small frame with a displeased grimace. His face was hard and unpleasant, much like the first time they met. 

“You don’t, hmm? Okay, I’ll just have to leave you with that mark on your neck, with no special charm that I’ve learned to hide it for an hour at a time. Take a look at it for yourself,” he led her roughly to a mirror, tilting her jaw up so she could see it clearly.

“Fuck, Draco,”

It was a large, kiss shaped hickey that was already turning a deep purple. This thing wasn’t going away with some concealer, that’s for sure. She winced when Draco ran his slender fingers over it, pressing into the bruise with an evil smile. 

“Hurts, does it?” 

“Shove off, you prick. Give me the charm to conceal it”

“Tell me what you want, and I will do just that.”

Stasia craned her neck to face him, and decided to just do it. To hell with his boosted ego. She grabbed the Slytherin tie that hung at his throat and pulled him down hard to meet her lips. Screw all the other boys, she didn’t want to think of who to pick amongst the other three. Right now, she had a tall, blonde, possessive Slytherin who was ordering her around like she served him, and she wanted only that. 

He was fairly surprised by her sudden actions, but immediately took control of the kiss, biting on her lip and receiving a yelp. She pulled the tie off of his neck and haphazardly threw it somewhere, and he returned the favor with hers. He leaned down and put his mouth on her neck, a moan leaking from her as he worked on the skin. He turned her around quickly and sat his body down on a bench. She straddled him in his seat, lips meeting his as they kissed one another angrily. 

Their hands ran over each other hastily and her fingers tangled themselves into his white blonde hair. His hands gripped at her hips, pulling her onto him harder. She rolled her hips instinctively on him, making him groan under her. The hand on her hip pressed deeper, surely leaving bruises. His other hand came up and toyed with her robe, letting it fall to the ground. 

She gasped at the cold air that filtered through her thin shirt, lack of a bra becoming apparent as the cold worked its way over her chest. He smiled at the two peaks poking out of her white shirt, sliding his hands up and down her sides teasingly. Just as he brought his hand to the top button, they heard Filch’s voice echoing from the halls below.

“Yes, Mrs. Norris, I do hear naughty students sneaking around the castle after dark. Will we catch them, my love?”

She and Draco immediately bolted up, scrambling to get their discarded clothing. 

“Where’s my tie!?” 

“I don’t  _ know _ Draco, I was a little distracted!”

“Now would be a great time to use those apparition skills, princess.”

_ Fuck, I’ve only done it once and now I have to do it with myself and stupid Malfoy? _

“Any day now, come on!”

“Fine, grab my hand!”

She thought of the last place she apparated to, and went through the motions like before. But this time, when she imagined Cedric all she felt was sadness, which clouded her mind.

“I can’t _ do it, _ I’m too distracted!”

Draco looked around in panic, not knowing exactly what to do. Finally, he seemed to come to a resolution. He put his large hand on the side of her face and rested his forehead on hers. The scene was almost tender, in a way.

“Clear your head, darling, you can do it _. _ ”

She breathed erratically, closing her eyes and focusing not on the thoughts of Cedric teaching her, but on the cool metal of Draco’s rings against her cheek, his soft hair, and the warm skin of his forehead against hers. Suddenly the same feeling of being squeezed through a small tube and spat out again came over her, and before she knew it they were sitting on her bed in her private dorm room. 

“Blimey, I guess you really can do it. Who would’ve thought? Thank fuck for that, we were almost caught thanks to your bloody moans. To think I risked detention for some stupid witch. What would your nice little friends think of you then? Getting caught with me and not a Weaselbee. Or was it Diggory? So hard to keep track with you.”

“Draco, stop!” 

Draco fell silent, his snarky demeanor shutting down. Her eyes were watering, threatening to break the dam she had put up the morning after Cedric confronted her. For a Hufflepuff, holding in emotions was not a strong suit. Especially when it was involved with heartbreak. 

“Are you about to cry?” for a moment, he almost sounded worried, “T-that’s  _ pathetic _ !”

“Just  _ shut up _ Malfoy!”

Her mind flashed with images of Cedric, disappointed and broken. What would he say if he saw what she did in the last 10 hours? Kissed two boys, none of which being the boy he knew about, and was almost caught fooling around with Draco Malfoy? A bully, a rich prick who picked on whoever wasn’t good enough in his eyes. The thought of these misdeeds, the judgement she would get from her friends, and the beratement from Draco all muddled into one voice that shouted in her brain. It was so loud, she could barely hear Draco trying to speak next to her.

“What is wrong with you? Look, I  _ apologize _ , okay? Is that what you want? You can stop now, I said sorry! Fuck, what the hell am I doing wrong?” 

Her breath came in quick pants, the same familiar tight feeling in her chest constricting her lungs as hot tears continued to fall down her face. All she could do was grip the sheets beneath her and clutch as her neck, which felt like it was closing. 

Words were like glue in her throat, getting stuck and acting like enzymes in the process of her lungs closing. It was a panic attack, she knew that, but she had always had such trouble stopping them by herself. In a panic she tried to call out to Draco, but the words were blocked before she could even get one out, so all that came out was a choked noise.

“What do I do? What do you  _ need _ ! A spell? What!?” 

Draco knew getting angry wasn’t doing anything, but he couldn’t help getting angry at himself. Anastasia looked like she was choking on nothing, and it was terrifying. She was suffering and he had no idea how or what to do to help her. Suddenly he remembered something his mother used to do to calm him down when he got scared as a child. He pulled her in close to his chest gently and stroked the back of her head, smoothing her frazzled hair. Slow, soft circles were traced into her back with the palm of his hand, and he assured her that everything would be alright in a soft voice. He hummed one of the songs that his mother would sing while brushing his hair many years ago, and that seemed to work in the effort to calm her.

After several minutes of Draco’s humming, she fell into his chest, breathing in deep, painful breaths. All he could do was stare at the back of her head in silence. Why had that happened? Did he make her cry like this? And why the hell was he even worried about this? In the past he had never cared about something like that. But seeing her shaking body, small and suffering, it stirred something so deep inside him. He was terrified of her coming to harm. 

“Anastasia,” she hummed into his chest when he spoke, not lifting her eyes towards his, “do you want to lay down?” 

This made her look up at him with a smile. Draco, being sweet for once in his bloody life. Normally she would’ve sent someone away after making fun of her like that, but for some reason she could see the feelings behind Draco’s beratement. He was fragile, so sad and angry inside. But beneath it all was a caring boy who just wanted to be loved, to be held and told it would be okay.

“Can you stay close to me?”

“Of course, whatever you want.”

Anastasia laid on her side with Draco at her back, his arms wrapping around her torso gently. As his fingers played with her hands, she could feel butterflies in her stomach, and his warm chest pressing on her back only multiplied the fluttering feeling tenfold. They both breathed in each other’s smell, Draco’s being a mix of mahogany, green apple, and cologne, hers chocolate, peppermint, and snow. With the warmth of the two bodies against one another, they fell asleep.

  
  
  



	13. Make Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After waking up alone, Anastasia decides its time to do something good with what she’s been given.

Chapter 13- Make Up

When she woke up, Anastasia noticed the empty space on the bed behind her. Draco had left, of course. Typical. Why had she even expected him to stay? Maybe because she managed to get a sweet moment out of him, or because there was some sort of connection. Whatever, it didn’t matter. She had morning after clarity, and with it she was going to make things right. First off, making up with one Cedric Diggory. Right before she was about to exit her dorm, however, she caught a glimpse of the side of her neck in the mirror.  _ Shit, forgot about that… _ There was still a dark purple bruise staining her skin from the night before, and it was all too obvious.

After sitting for five minutes trying to cover the mark, she noticed a scrap of parchment next to the mirror. It had an A written on with elegant handwriting, clearly someone from a good upbringing. Malfoy, perhaps? She didn’t know anyone else with such stuffy mannerisms as him. The note, neatly folded in a square, came as a relief to Anastasia.

_ Here’s a disillusionment charm that will hide my little gift on your neck. You twirl their wand around yourself as though you are wrapping yourself in rope- quite simple. Though, if you were really a good girl you’d let people see what I did to you. Don’t forget, you’re mine Anastasia. ~D _

She could feel the red seeping into her cheeks while reading the note. Why did he need to be so crass yet charming? Just another part of his allure, apparently. After casting the charm, she focused it on her next and made it blend with her normal hue. Now no one would see that for at least 4 hours, and it was time to go do what she had planned for the morning before classes. First up, Cedric.

She caught him in the courtyard between classes, sitting alone in a windowsill and reading. He seemed to be in a better mood, eyes not looking so empty and a small smile on the corner of his lips. The only problem was how to approach him. Thankfully she had prepared herself beforehand, a plate of cream puffs in her hands and steady confidence rising in her heart.

“Hey there, Digs,”

At the sound of her voice he shut his book and moved his attention to her smiling face. 

“Oh, hey there. What’s going on?”

“I come bearing gifts, and an apology. Can I sit, please?”

Cedric shifted so she could sit across from him, both looking at each other’s slightly awkward faces. She held out the plate of treats, to which he let slip a small laugh and gladly accepted them. After they both ate one, he looked back at her and breathed a steady huff out of his nose.

“So, does this mean you’ve decided?”

“I have, Cedric,” she took a deep breath, taking one more moment to see if her decision was what she really wanted, and spoke again, “I want to be best friends again. I’ve been so miserable without you, it’s like every day is just more and more boring. And honestly, I couldn't even be mad about Cho. What can I say, you guys are so damn compatible. Oh! Speaking of Cho, if you don’t ask her to the ball, I am going to ask her for you. Man up Diggory!”

They both started laughing at this tangent, both knowing they were probably better as friends anyways. 

“You really think she’d say yes?”

“Oh my bloody hell, Cedric, you really are blind. Yes, of  _ course _ she would say yes!”

After they sat laughing and talking with each other for a while, Anastasia spurred him to go ask Cho to the ball. Of course, she said yes. Who would say no to the current first place champion of the TriWizard Tournament? 

Anastasia checked one of the clocks in the halls and noticed that it was almost time for one of her favorite classes, Potions. Sure, Snape was a hassle and could make the class mind numbingly boring, but making a potion and getting that stunned look from him was worth it. Severus Snape liked to think that only he could make the perfect potion, and that his students couldn’t even stir water correctly in their cauldrons, but the first year she took potions Anastasia made it her goal to prove him wrong every chance she could. And today was no exception.

She got to the class two minutes early with Cedric, and they sat in their designated arrangement. While scanning the classroom, she caught Draco looking at her with an unrecognizable expression. Disappointment about the charm working, maybe? Or anger in seeing her so close with Cedric again. Little did he know they were merely friends, nothing more. She tried to smile at him, but this made him grimace and turn away to look at the front of the room. 

“Today, students, we will be brewing a very unwieldy and dangerous potion. It has been known to bewitch the heart and mind of those who have ingested it, so if it touches your lips, be ready to face the consequences.”

The students murmured amongst themselves, wondering what dangerous potion they could be attempting today. Anastasia looked over at Cedric and he returned her look of confusion. She rummaged through her cluttered mind for all the dangerous potions she knew of, Felix Felicis, Polyjuice, Amortentia, perhaps a Draught of Living Death? No, they had already learned about that in their first year of potions.

“Ms. Scamander, since you don’t seem to be paying attention to what I am saying, why don’t you come up front and tell the class about this potion?”

Stasia huffed a breath out of her nose and rose up out of her chair. Snape gave her a  _ “do your worst”  _ look and uncovered the cauldron at the large desk next to him. Instantly, she recognized its distinctive mother-of-pearl sheen, and the fact that its steam rose in characteristic spirals. She smiled to herself and turned to face Snape and the class. Sure, Anastasia wasn’t a “know it all” like Hermione was called, but she loved proving old, haughty men wrong. 

“It’s Amortentia, Professor. The most powerful love potion in the world. The potion smells differently to different people according to,” she shifted slightly and lost some of her facade, “what attracts them.” 

This received several wolf-whistles from the boys, and giggles from the girls. Of course, a love potion stirred up some excitement amongst the lonely teens. Anastasia rolled her eyes at Cedric, who was smiling teasingly at her red face. Amid the murmurs in the class, he nudged her side and bent his head down to her ear.

“What do you think people will smell?”

“Hmm, my bet is that Draco smells his money. Or his dad?”

At this they both burst out laughing, louder than anyone else in the class. Snape clapped loudly once, silencing the class, and turned back to her. 

“Disturbing the class, Ms. Scamander, is another detention for tomorrow. And now, what do you smell in this potion?” 

She fidgeted with her hands for a second, glancing around the room at the many students looking at her with hard stares. Cedric smiled reassuringly, allowing her to be calm enough to lean close to the pot. Inhaling deeply through her nose, instant relief flooded through her. She smelled cinnamon and gunpowder, and the warm smell of the Burrow in front of the fire. But when she was about to pull away, the potion bubbled and popped, releasing another smell. Green apples, mint, and the unmistakable expensive cologne of the blonde sitting only six feet away from her. Her eyes flitted to Draco’s own grey ones, making him raise his brow in response. 

“And what is it that you smell in the Amortentia, Ms. Scamander?”

“Oh, well,” she tapped her foot on the ground as she struggled to come up with a small lie, “lemons and honey.” 

Snape nodded and sent her back to her desk with Cedric. As soon as she sat down her stature deflated and her head hit the desk. Of course, Cedric noticed this and put his hand on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. When the materials were laid down at their table, Stasia looked back up at her friend tiredly. 

“So, what did you really smell in the Amortentia, Zee?”

“What?”

“Well, you hate lemons, so there’s no  _ way _ you’re attracted to someone who smells like lemons.”

“Merlin, sometimes I forget we know everything about each other. You know, I may have to obliviate you now Ceds.”

They laughed with each other while setting up their space for potion-making. About two hours into the process, the steam finally started to spiral up in the right way. It glimmered just like the one at the front of the room and gave off the same smells. Spicy gunpowder, fragrant green apples, warm fire, cold mint, cologne, and cinnamon. All of the smells confused her, but let her know that she had brewed it exactly right.

Snape came up to inspect it, waving his hand towards his nose. The second the steam hit him, his eyes widened and his face seemed to become softer. It was just like in the past, many years ago, when he smelled his potion master’s Amortentia. Lilies, candy, and the sweet perfume used by the one he loved more than life itself.

“This is acceptable. You and your partner may work on the homework for tonight, Ms. Scamander.”

As Snape walked back to his desk, Cedric and Anastasia high-fived quietly and started to work on the parchment that was assigned to them. 

When the class ended, they picked up their belongings and treaded out into the halls. That had been their final class of the day, fortunately, and now the fun could begin. It was Friday, two days before the ball and three days before Cedric’s last challenge, and that meant partying like there was no tomorrow.

That evening they invited friends from all houses to a party in the Hufflepuff common room. They had a lot of people and even more firewhiskey, two essentials for an unforgettable night. The music pounded through her head and the whiskey burned down her throat, making everything warm and fuzzy. She had never been drunk before, only having sips of liquor now and then to try it, but tonight was two days before the ball and everyone was celebrating the tournament, so why not get a little tipsy?

Due to the booze in her system, the loud environment didn’t affect her so much as it normally would. She somewhat dissociated from her own mind, thankfully, and for twenty minutes she danced in a daze with Maisie and her other friends. They swayed and laughed, letting everything go for one night. Who cared about errant men or suspiciously dangerous tournaments which teenagers probably shouldn’t be enduring, tonight was about fun. That was, until a figure came up behind Stasia. She could feel the cold rings press into her through her thin white shirt, sending shivers all over.

“Well well well, someone’s tipsy,”

“Well well well, someone’s  _ touchy _ ,” her head turned to face him, cheeks dangerously close, “Malfoy,”

This made him press his fingers deeper into her waist, which received a hushed  _ ouch  _ from one drunken Stasia. Her reaction made him laugh quietly, the sort of laugh that felt dark and made you shift your eyes to the ground uncomfortably.

“Don’t forget our little agreement, Anastasia. And I may or may not have had a few sips of liquor myself, thank you. Obviously not as many as you, by the way you’re dancing.”

“And what’s so bad with how I dance? I think you like it, Draco,”

While saying this, she swayed her hips against him and chuckled at his sudden tensity. For a rich, playboy bully, he was quite the awkward drunk. And a lightweight, by the looks of it. Not that Stasia knew how to handle her liquor too well, from the scene she was making with Malfoy. Normally, she would never even admit to slightly enjoying such an unpleasant person’s company, let alone dance with them with friends from all houses watching. 

“Act like that, and I’ll have you on a bed before you can say  _ Lumos _ .”

“HEY! What in the  _ hell  _ do you think you’re doing touching her like that, Malfoy?”

_ Oh shittt, tall, handsome ginger boy. Is that Fred, or George? I’m bloody hammered, aren’t I? Merlin’s beard…  _

George grabbed Anastasia’s arm and pulled her away from the bleach blonde Slytherin boy, both bubbling with jealousy and rage. 

“She was bloody fine with it, you moronic Weasley, can't you see? Unlike you, I can get girls to dance with me without tricks.”

“Anastasia would  _ never  _ dance with you, let alone  _ touch  _ you.”

“If that were true, she wouldn’t have had me in her  _ bed _ last night.”

That seemed to snap something in George, who was typically easygoing and carefree. But right now, all he felt was anger, and it needed to get out,  _ now _ . Before anyone could think, he threw a punch at Draco’s smug face. Due to expert reflexes and sharp eyes, George hit him square in the nose. Apparently, this seemed to trigger some flashbacks from 3rd year for Draco, as he growled menacingly and swung right back at the Weasley twin. Though he wasn’t an expert in any sort of combat, the punch hit George in the stomach and caused him to double over. 

By now, there was a crowd circling around the two boys, shouting things like “come on George, get him good!” and “Yes Malfoy, punch him!” (But that was mainly said by Blaise, Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy). Ron noticed his temporarily disabled brother and knew that now was his chance for revenge. Draco has always bullied him and his friends, and now was a perfect excuse to get a hit on that blonde prick. Just as he was about to strike the young teen, Anastasia came up from her cowering position and looked at Ron with a puzzled expression. The hit seemed to come in slow motion, and all she could think of was  _ wow, Ron looks so scrunched up when he tries to hit someone. Very concentrated, I guess? _ And suddenly, his fist struck her nose with a hard sound. Then, the whole room went silent.

  
  
  
  



	14. Bruised Eyes and Egos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After being punched in the face by Ron Weasley, Anastasia needs some rest and care. Luckily, another Weasley brother is ready to attend to her.

Chapter 14- Bruised Eyes and Egos

Everyone stared at Anastasia with a mix of shock and honest concern. She had fallen back onto Draco, knocking them both on the floor in front of the whole crowd. In her head, everything was muffled and fuzzy. She could see George shaking Ron by the shoulder, shouting something unintelligible at him and waving his hand around wildly. 

Suddenly, she was being pulled up from her underarms and pulled somewhere. Strong hands gently carried her up a flight of stairs, through a doorway, and onto a bed. Her eyes shut for what seemed like only a moment, and when she opened them again her vision was mostly normal in one eye. The other was too painful to open, seemingly swollen and bruised. 

“No no, don’t open that. Silly girl, whatever will we do with you,”

She could recognize that voice from miles away, his warm and fiery edge softened with heartfelt compassion. 

“Hello there, your lordship.”

George put his hand on the side of her face comfortingly, rubbing his thumb on her jaw tenderly. Though she couldn’t see him, Anastasia knew he was wearing that award winning Weasley grin which she loved so much. She lifted her hand to where his rested, simply enjoying his warmth against her aching face. 

“How do you feel, my darling?”

“Quite fuzzy, actually. Would that be the alcohol or some sort of potion?”

He chuckled, and rubbed the top of her head very cautiously, “Ah, yes, that would be a little numbing spell and one Episkey casting by Hermione. Good work on her part, but I believe my presence was what really healed you the most.”

“Oh, George! I’m not even healed, the right side of my head is spinning and the left is just aching beyond belief. Say, how do I look?”

“Stunning as ever, of course.”

Stasia snickered at his flattery, somewhat blushing, “ _ George _ !”

“Alright, alright. Open your right eye a little, I’ll show you in a mirror.”

She nodded ever so slightly and cracked open her right eye. What she saw simultaneously shocked and humored her. The eye which was normally slightly sunken in and pale was now outrageously swollen. It bore the deepest purple she had ever seen on a human, almost black compared to her alabaster skin. For a long time, she studied it in silence, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

“I’d say no real difference, innit?”

They both cracked up at her remark, enjoying the lightness she made out of the rather unfortunate scenario. Anastasia tried to gingerly touch the puffy area, but George snatched her hand away and held it to his chest. 

“Blimey, you’re trying to hurt yourself more now! No touching, no opening it, and no laying on that side of your face, you hear? I don’t want you getting hurt any more, after that absolutely mental stunt Ron pulled.”

“Come on now, he  _ probably  _ didn’t mean to hit me. I don’t really know for sure though, it’s all kind of a blur.”

As George explained the events of the night to her, Stasia found herself more confused than before.  _ Draco came to dance with me? Why would he do that in front of everyone, the proud prick he is? And why isn’t George biting my head off right now for what Draco told him? _

“So, now's the time for the awkward part I suppose,”

“Oh, Merlin, alright. About Draco-“

“He must have been lying, of course. That tosser is trying to get to me, talking about  _ being in your bed _ and whatnot. Merlin, what a git.”

She was wracked with guilt. Technically, Draco wasn’t lying about being in her bed. Of course, not in the context that most people would assume, but still. Being in a room alone with him was bad enough. It was a total betrayal of George’s trust, not to mention her other friends who similarly were bullied by the pompous jerk. But she knew in her heart (and booze-afflicted brain) that keeping it from this boy, who clearly cared for her just as she did him, was an even worse deed.

“George, well, I don’t really know how to put this. He- Draco, that is- well he  _ was  _ in my bed-“

“ _ What? _ ”

“It’s not how it sounds! You know me, I wouldn’t do  _ that _ . We ran into each other in the halls, and Filch almost caught us. In order to not get punished for being out of bed, he made me apparate us out. But the only place I know how to go to right now is right here! So, yes, he was  _ technically  _ in my bed, and he did sleep here so he wouldn’t be caught in the halls again. You see, he’s not nearly as stealthy or devious as you and me. And that is why he was in my bed, George. Nothing more.”

Staying completely quiet, all George could do was think the scenario over in his brain. Sure, Anastasia hadn’t included what they were  _ doing  _ exactly before they were caught, but that wasn’t something that needed to be disclosed at the moment. After a minute or two, the ginger boy spoke again, maintaining his composure quite well.

“Goodness, almost getting caught wandering around the castle at night without me? I guess I am the wittier one between the two of us, since we’ve never had a scrape like that when we’re together.”

“Well just that once, I didn’t quite have my wits about me. But normally I’m the smart one here, Georgie. Isn’t that right, Harry?” 

George gave her a confused look and turned around to face the doorway. There stood a surprised Harry Potter, caught listening in to the two’s conversation. She could see the blush creeping across his face, even from the shadowy hallway. 

“Been listening in, Harry? Cheeky,”

The three chuckled awkwardly, filling the room with tension. 

“Let me get one more minute alone with her, then she’s all free for your conversational needs.”

Harry simply nodded, backing away towards the other dorms.

“And why do you need a minute alone with me, George?”

“Just to do this,” George leaned over and kissed her cheek, “and give you this,” then he handed her a small vial of what looked to be a potion. It was dark red, almost blood-like, and gave off a red mist. 

“It smells like your socks, George- how am I meant to drink this?” 

He smiled at her, obviously trying to hold in laughter. They both knew how bad the twin’s socks could get without Molly to do the washing. Anastasia squeezed her hand into a ball and brought the draught to her lips, letting the bitter liquid make its way down her throat. It tasted like some plant you weren’t supposed to consume, and made her instantly dizzy again. George said something unintelligible and stood up, leaving her alone. The next moments were hazy, her head falling back onto the pillow and slipping into a deep sleep. 

She had a strange vision of an unrecognizable boy. He was holding her hand, asking her something that she couldn’t quite hear. All she could do was nod and mumble incoherent words. 

Ultimately, she woke up and glanced all around the room. Her bruised eye had stopped being so puffy, so she could see out of it clearly, but it still was painful to the touch. Stasia tried to make her way down the stairs to the commons slowly, her system being slightly affected by the potion still. Cedric was on the sofa with Cho, both smiling and holding hands. As soon as they heard her footsteps, the pair rushed over to help her down to a leather couch of her own. 

“Merlin, Stasia, I heard what happened, but I didn’t know it was this bad! 

Cedric rubbed her arm with a concerned frown, eyes glued to her own bruised one. Sitting next to him, Cho also stared at her, though it was more out of kindness than concern. 

“Well jeez Cedric, it can’t be  _ that  _ bad! I mean, no worse than I last saw it. Now  _ that _ was bad.”

He rolled his eyes at her attempt to lighten the mood. She’d gotten in various squabbles before, of course, being her. But this time, it wasn’t even her that was fighting, and that’s what concerned him so much. He had heard what happened, but was still confused. Draco Malfoy and George Weasley hated each other, obviously, but  _ why _ were they fighting about her? He was obviously missing something big. 

“Stasia, if you have some time I need to talk to you before I start getting ready for tonight’s last challenge.”

“We’re talking right now, aren’t we?”

She snickered at his deadpan face, clearly not amused.

“You know what I mean, dimwit. I’ve got to take Cho back to her commons now, so I’ll see you in just a second.” 

She nodded and watched them go out the door hand in hand, waving goodbye. Just as they were walking out, Seamus Finnigan squeezed by and made a beeline for Anastasia. Cedric and Cho looked back at her with confused expressions, only to be answered with the same one. Stasia had no idea why he was sitting with her, seeing as she hadn’t talked to him much before except for in passing.

“Say, Scamander, I ‘erd you have a hot date to the ball! Issat true?”

At this her confusion only grew. She hadn’t asked anyone to the ball yet, what in the hell was he talking about?

“On that you’d be incorrect, Finnigan. I’m not going with anyone,”

“Oh, I  _ knew  _ that bloody Potter was lying! No way could he pull a fine lass like you.”

Now everyone was staring at Seamus like he was speaking in tongues. Cedric walked towards the couch and leaned on the back with his palms.

“God, Seamus, what are you on about?”

“You don’t know? Potter asked Anastasia here to the ball! Apparently she said no though, contrary to what he’s been spouting.”

“What? Harry never asked me to the ball, I've been in bed asleep almost all day!”

Now everyone was scratching their heads in confusion, glancing around the room at the four people in it. There was contradictory information coming from every angle, and only one source to go to. Anastasia, who was at this point both confused and angry that Harry had supposedly been telling everyone that they were going to the ball together. She liked him well enough, but now everyone was going to think they were dating, including George and Draco (who already were angry enough with each other). Cho messed with her thumbs and looked at Cedric, obviously wanting to leave the awkward situation.

“Well, this is quite a pickle…”

“Yes, and there’s only one way to solve it,” Anastasia stood up from the couch and readied herself for yet another awkward confrontation, “go right to the source.”

  
  
  
  
  



	15. Beginning of the End, Part One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s the day of the Yule Ball, and Anastasia finds herself with a very unexpected date. 
> 
> Almost done with the first part of the book! This chapter and the next will be a little longer than usual :)

Chapter 15- Beginning of the End, Part One

As she made her way hastily towards the Gryffindor commons, Anastasia mulled over her situation. How could Harry think it was okay to tell everyone they were going together? She hadn’t even remembered him asking, let alone accepting the offer. Maybe if he had asked her earlier, when she was conscious, she would’ve said yes. But this? This situation was so out of the ordinary and obscure that she couldn’t help but feel unpleasant about the whole thing.

“Balderdash,” she spoke to the Fat Lady portrait quickly, obviously in a bad mood. She looked down at the frazzled Hufflepuff student and frowned.

“You alright love? Never seen one of your house looking so,” the woman searched through her vocabulary and spoke again, “disenchanted!”

Anastasia grumbled, the pain in her head returning as she rubbed her temple. The portrait swung open, letting her into the warm-colored common room, where she could already hear the Golden Trio laughing and chatting about something obscure. When they saw her approaching, Ron made a desperate attempt to scramble behind a chair, only to be stopped by Hermione grabbing his sweater. Stasia chuckled, amused by the display of fear.

“Ron, what the bloody hell are you doing?”

“Well, look- I think I hear Fred calling me! I really should go help him,”

Hermione glared at him, which glued him to the seat. She then looked back to Anastasia and winced at the sight of her bruised eye. Harry smiled cluelessly at her, adjusting his glasses when he went to speak,

“Uhm, afternoon Anastasia,” 

“Stop right there Harry,” the three were taken aback by her sudden change in tone, sinking further into the couch, “You really told your whole house that you were taking me to the ball? I can’t believe you!”

“What’s that s’posed to mean? Did you want it to be a surprise?”

“A  _ surprise _ ? Oh, it was a surprise alright. A surprise to me! Harry, I was dead asleep when you supposedly asked me to the ball.”

Ron let out a laugh, to which Hermione smacked his head and intently leaned in to the argument. She was secretly a sucker for some good drama here and there.

“I had no idea! I thought you were closing your eyes cus’ they hurt. But you still said yes, which is good!”

“And why is that so good?”

“Well Cho is going with someone already, which is a real shame,” Ron winced at his friend’s poor choice in words as he prepared for what was to come, “and besides, all the other good people had been asked!”

At this, both of Harry’s friends cringed. He was bright enough for school and a smart plan every now and then, but speaking to girls did something bad to his head. 

“You’ve  _ got _ to be kidding me! I am not some stupid last option, Harry, and I am  _ certainly  _ not going with you after this! God, I would’ve just gone with you if you’d have asked earlier instead of being such a  _ dimwit _ about it!”

Hermione nodded her head in agreement, shooting a look to Ron like they had argued about the same exact thing. Harry sat, silent and shell shocked at her outburst, as she flew out the door and onto the stairs.  _ What an idiot! He had months to ask someone, and he only asked me when all the “good ones” were gone? I’m bloody fantastic! Unbelievable. _

She stumbled into a hallway and sat down, tired of the day so far. There was still a ball and a tournament to go to, so the day needed to get a whole lot better before she could build up the energy to even stand up and walk to her dorm. Anastasia could hear quiet footsteps approaching, but couldn’t bear to open her damaged eye and see who it was. Apparently it was someone who knew her, because she heard them stop at her feet and squat down. As soon as she inhaled, she knew who it was by their strong cologne. 

“Draco,” she sighed, almost relieved, “ _ afternoon _ .”

“What’s wrong with you?”

She smiled and huffed out of her nose, glad to hear he was still his normal snarky self. 

“Well that’s not quite the same greeting, but I’ll take it.”

“You know what I mean. Why are you sitting in the hall alone?”

“Well Draco, normally if a girl is sitting alone in an empty hallway, what do you think is the reason?”

He frowned, shuffling over next to her with his feet to make sure his clothing didn’t touch the ground. 

“Does this have to do with the fact that you’re stuck with that git Potter for the ball?” 

“Oh Merlin, even  _ you _ heard about that? Unbelievable, he’s really told anyone and everyone. I’m  _ not  _ going with him!”

Just as Stasia was about to slap her palm to her face in defeat, Draco snatched it away. She opened her eyes in confusion, staring at him for a second before he pointed at her eye with his other hand. 

“I forgot about that,” she chuckled, tears pricking her eyes out of nowhere, “Bet it looks ugly as all hell, hm?”

Draco’s eyes softened, uncommon to his character, and he reached out his hand to her face. Tucking her hair behind her ear, he smiled and brought his face close to hers. He kissed her cheek, making sure to stay away from the bruise so as to not hurt her any more. This softness from him was so unusual, but so welcomed. It felt natural, like something he hid for appearance’s sake. His gentle hand felt like it was made for her face, built to comfort her, and she couldn’t help but let out a couple tears. 

“Stop that, Potter isn’t worth your time. Someone pure and beautiful like you shouldn’t bother with the likes of him. In fact,” he stood up and held out his hand to her with a sly smile, “go with me.”

“ _ What _ ?”

“Goodness, princess, do I have to spell it out for you? Go to. The ball. With me. Got it?”

“Let me get this straight,” taking his hand, she stood up and looked in his grey eyes, “you want to be seen. In public. With me?”

“I’m sure one night won’t cause a stir, don’t you think? Plus it’ll get on Saint Potter’s nerves, and I think you’d love to do that just once. Come on now, you know you want to. Besides, I would kill for a chance to dance with a beautiful girl such as you.”

The remnant tears on her cheeks practically evaporated due to the heat coming off her face. Draco’s words were so enchanting, she practically felt like he casted a charm on her. Of course, that was entirely possible, but he hadn’t taken his wand out at all so she decided to trust him just this once. What could be so bad about going to the ball with him? She’d have a date, and a pretty damn good looking one at that. Just for one night, it would be okay to dance with a Malfoy. George and Fred would be mad, but could be reasoned with, as could her other friends. 

“You know what, to hell with it, I’ll go with you Draco.”

“Excellent news, Anastasia. I’ll see you there then.”

He let her hand fall to her side as he walked down the hall, sauntering with a renewed energy. Stasia smiled, glad to have a date to the ball. Annoying Potter was an added bonus, of course. 

Anastasia sat in front of her mirror, staring at the purple mark all around her eye. How on earth was she going to go to a ball that only happens once every 100 years looking like a stupid beat up teenage thug? She had attempted the masking spell Draco gave her, but her mind simply wasn’t clear enough to practice magic. What to wear, how to look, how to explain everything to everyone, it was all making her brain quite muddy. Just then, a gentle knock came from the door of her dorm.

“Who is it?”

“It’s Hermione, can I come in?”

“Oh! Sure,”

Though Anastasia was a little confused by Hermione’s presence, she welcomed it openly. One would think that they would try and find solace in each other’s company, but they had never hung out one on one. This was strange considering they were two similar-minded girls who were constantly with several odd male characters on a day to day basis. Anastasia slid over on the bench, motioning her over to sit. The two smiled awkwardly at each other through the mirror, sitting in silence until Hermione spoke up.

“I think what you said to Harry is completely right, you know,”

“Really? I imagined you all would think I was quite mad, honestly.”

“Well, maybe those stupid boys do, but I completely understand. After all, almost the same thing happened to me with Ronald. Just like them all to wait until the last second, don’t you think? To act like you were the last possible person they would even want to go with,

and they have the  _ audacity  _ to question why you’re upset!”

“ _ Exactly _ ! And I know I shouldn’t be, but I’m just so pissed off! I wouldn’t have minded going to the ball with Harry, but after what he said? No way. You know, I might as well tell you this since everyone’s going to find out when we go to the ball tonight,” Anastasia shifted to turn to her friend with a blush creeping on her cheeks, “I’m going with  _ Draco _ ,”

“You’re  _ what _ ? Going to the Yule Ball with  _ Draco Malfoy _ ? Stasia, I don’t know what to say really.”

“I know he’s not the best sort of character to be waltzing around with, but it’s just one night. And besides, he’s quite charming when he wants to be, and I could use a charming boy this evening. Going with him would be far better than going alone, don’t you think?”

“Well, I guess I’m not one to talk. I’m going with  _ Krum,” _

“ _ Really _ ! Hermione, that’s-”

“ _ Insane _ ! I know, believe me. Hermione Granger, going to the ball with a tall, dark, and handsome stranger from far away. In all honesty, it was mostly to make Ron jealous. Which is stupid, I know, but I can’t help myself! So I guess I do know just how you feel.”

The pair sat together chatting about the upcoming ball, and eventually decided to get ready together. Anastasia invited Maisie, and Hermione brought Ginny. The four girls laughed while helping each other with hair and makeup (though they refrained from putting much on Ginny since Hermione decided she was too young to think she needed any makeup). 

“You guys, I really don’t know what I’m going to do with this huge bruise on my eye. It’s quite  _ unpleasant _ to wear around the place as it is, but going to the ball with it would just be a nightmare!”

“Oh!” Hermione gasped and grabbed her wand from atop the small side table she put it on, “Face me, please.”

She obliged and looked in her new friend’s direction with anticipation. Hermione was a great witch, but Stasia didn’t know if she had any healing experience. 

“ _ Episkey _ ,”

She felt a fast, fuzzy tendril buzzing around her eye, and almost instant relief. Hermione smiled, looking quite proud of herself, and held up a mirror. Anastasia gasped in surprise, touching her under eyes and brow bone delicately with her fingers. The black and blue had left her skin completely, leaving it her natural cream colour. Maisie squealed and placed her hands on either side of Hermione’s face, jumping up and down excitedly.

“ _ Fantastic _ ! Absolutely amazing Hermione! You need to teach me how to do that in case our Anastasia gets into any more scuffs,” Stasia glared at her jokingly, heading to the mirror to apply makeup to her freshly renewed face, “Which I'm  _ sure _ she won’t again!”

“Bloody right I won’t, with this new magicked face! Can’t think you enough, Hermione, really. Now, all we have left is clothes. There’s only one issue with that whole thing, I don’t happen to have a dress.”

At that there was an audible gasp from all three other girls. Maisie rushed up to Anastasia and grabbed her shoulder, looking at her in the reflection of the mirror.

“ _ Zee _ , you’re taking the piss. You don’t have a dress yet?”

“Well, no-”

Somewhat conveniently, Anastasia’s black cat pawed at the window, staring out of it intently. The girls looked at each other puzzled, seeing as none of them had any mail coming in that they knew of. Ginny opened the window, instantly jumping back in fear of the giant, fierce-looking eagle owl that flew in. It landed on a dresser, dropping a dark package in one of the open drawers, and looked up at Stasia expectantly. Hermione turned and whispered to her worriedly, 

“Did you get a new owl, Anastasia? Or is that someone else’s huge, terrifying owl that just dropped a massive ominous package on your dresser.” 

All of a sudden Maisie gasped, making the owl flutter in its place on the wood.

“Holy cricket, that’s  _ Draco Malfoy’s _ owl! Zee, do you think it flew to the wrong place?” 

Anastasia slowly approached the owl, bowing her head and reaching for the letter in its beak. It ruffled its feathers, going on the defensive. The other girls looked at each other uneasily, wondering if the Malfoy’s owl was as hostile as him. To their surprise, it bowed its head to her as well and released the note. 

“What does it say? Is it for Draco?”

“It’s for me…”

The four girls stood marveling at the contents of the package, silent. Anastasia ran her fingers along the present, mesmerized by how it moved. Scraps of black paper laid around the item, along with the dark green ribbon that had tied the package. Hermione was the first to speak, still mesmerized. 

“Anastasia that’s-”

“Bloody  _ gorgeous _ ? Absolutely  _ fantastic _ ? It’s  _ everything _ ! Zee,” Maisie exhaled in wonder, “ _ Draco _ got you this? Malfoy? The one who you’ve hated for years? Your idiot brother’s best friend? The absolutely despicable one? I can’t believe he would get you such an  _ amazing  _ dress!”

Delicately, Stasia picked it up and held it against her body. The gown was stunning, shimmering emerald silk draping down to the floor, and a slit up the leg just modest enough to where she wouldn’t be pulled aside by a professor. She held it by the thin silver straps, most likely meant to go on the tops of the shoulders, instead of the silk that draped off onto the sides of the arms. It was very on theme with Draco Malfoy to give her a green and silver dress, ever loyal to his own house colors.

“Bloody hell, there’s shoes in here too!” Ginny pulled out a pair of glossy black shoes with long silver heels, “Blimey! Jewelry too? I knew they were rich but this is excessive!”

“Jewelry?” At the mention of this, Maisie quickly went to inspect the rest of the gifts, “Oh my, Anastasia you have to see this,  _ now _ .”

Still somewhat speechless from the gorgeous dress, Anastasia silently drifted over to the black package. Maisie held up a smaller jewelry box, which held a pair of dangling earrings with an onyx stone in the intricate silver metal. In her other hand was a long ring that resembled a snake wrapping around a finger. 

“He’s trying to turn you Slytherin at this point,  _ Merlin _ !”

The girls stood around Anastasia, none of them quite knowing what else to say. Who knew Draco would go this all out with his Yule Ball date? 

“Well, perhaps for one night it wouldn’t be so bad to go out of my ordinary wardrobe. Besides, if he went through all the effort I might as well wear it. Not to mention, it’s all  _ gorgeous _ .”

“She does have a point,” Hermione smiled at her friends, “what’s one night? We’re all going with people a little out of our ordinary. Anastasia with Malfoy, Ginny with Neville, Maisie with Dean, me and Krum! I say, we all put on our dresses and get ready to go to our unconventional boys!” 

“Damn right!” Maisie wore a wide grin as she rushed to slip on her own dress, spurring the three others to do the same. 

Anastasia wished her friends luck as they all went to meet their dates in the Great Hall. She stayed behind, opening the note in the package again and reading it over.

_ Anastasia, _

_ In this box is what I wish for you to wear to the ball. I would not have my date wear anything other than the finest clothes, after all. Meet me outside my dorm when you are ready, no later than 7:45pm.  _

_ -DM _

She folded the slip of paper and put it on her dresser. In all honesty, Stasia didn’t know why Draco would want to meet her there and not in the corridor in front of the Great Hall, but she obliged anyway. Like always, her steps echoed in the quiet halls, this time louder than ever. The metal heels of her shoes left a sharper click than normal, making her ever aware of the riches she wore on her body. 

“Anastasia? Is that you?”

She froze in her somewhat hasty tracks. That voice could stop her anywhere. It was familiar, made her feel like she was back home. 

“Rolf!”

“What the hell are you doing down here? These aren’t the cozy Hufflepuff commons, you know. It’s awfully

cold down here, plus I know you don’t like the company I keep.”

“Who, Draco?”

“Oh, I didn’t know you were going by first name now, that’s quite an improvement. Especially seeing as you couldn’t stand to talk to him just a couple months ago. Perhaps you’re finally warming up to my friends like I asked you to so long ago!”

“Oh, shut it! He’s alright, sure, but I still don’t understand why you choose to spend every day with him and his gang of idiots. Honestly, that Pansy Parkinson is purely insufferable, then you add Crabbe and Goyle to the mix? Unbelievable! The only half decent one is Blaise Zambini, incredibly vain and stuffy as he is.”

“She’s right, you know, Pansy  _ is  _ insufferable.”

Anastasia and Rolf turned to look in the doorway down the hall, seeing a white blonde head leaning out looking at them. Her brother stood up straighter, coming out from the relaxed state he was in with his twin. 

“Draco! Thought you’d be at the ball by now, see that stunning date that you’ve been raving about, ‘ey?”

Anastasia smiled, a blush coming to the tops of her cheeks. She raised her brow at Draco, practically poking his ribs with her eyes, which received a teasing glare back at her. Rolf looked between the two, completely oblivious to the energy flowing back and forth. Suddenly he noticed her attire, highly uncommon for his sister, and glanced back at Draco, whose tie was the same color and material as her dress. His eyes widened in realization, bringing his hand up to cup his mouth in surprise.

“No, no  _ way _ ! Draco, my  _ sister  _ is your  _ date _ ! What the hell Anastasia, I thought you hated each other? Is this some kind of bloody prank?”

Anastasia couldn't help but laugh at her brother’s reaction, “Yes, Rolf, I am going with Draco.”

“As his  _ date _ ?”

“Yes, as his date.”

“And it’s  _ not _ a prank?”

“No, no it is not.”

Rolf leaned into his sister’s ear, warily looking at his friend who had since stepped out into the hall with them. 

“ _ Has he put you under the imperius curse _ ?”

“ _ Rolf _ ! No, of course not you bloody moron, I’m going willingly. Now, we’re going to be late if you don’t let us go. Do you mind, my dear brother?”

Lost for words, Rolf nodded and moved to the side. Draco took Anastasia’s hand, looking over at her twin and winking at him before starting the walk up to the Great Hall. She waved at her brother with a smile, following next to her unconventional date hand in hand. 

“You look stunning, Anastasia. I’m pleased you wore the jewelry as well, it fits you quite well,” he raked over her body with his eyes, admiring his taste in both women and fashion, “You’ll be the envy of everyone in there tonight.”

“You think so? I didn’t know if your specific taste in color schemes would fit my usual style. Very, how you say, Malfoy-esque.”

Draco chuckled, glancing over his own clothing with a smile. Black slacks, white dress shirt and vest, an emerald silk tie, and a black dress robe on top of it all. Truthfully, the white was not his idea, but his mother’s. If he had it entirely his way, it would simply be black and green. 

“Yes, maybe so, but a style change is needed from time to time. Personally I think you should dress this way all the time, green seems to be your color.”

“And white seems to be yours! Of course, I am a fan of the black as well. You seem to pull off both, Draco.”

They both smiled, surprisingly happy with their choice in dates. As the Great Hall got closer, Stasia’s nerves became more tangled. The pair would enter together, hand in hand, for everyone to see. The Weasleys, Cedric, Harry, they would all see. She hadn’t had time to explain her particular situation to them, but the three girls she got ready with would understand. Anastasia had faith that they would defend her decisions against the boys, however, and that calmed her a great deal. 

“We’re here. Hope you’re ready, princess, because it’s time to make our entrance.”

“Oh, Merlin,” she let out a laugh, exhaling a shaky breath with it, “I hope that I’m ready too.”

Draco locked arms with her, full of etiquette as normal, and walked through the doors. At first, there was no whispering or murmurs. In fact, they almost went in unnoticed. Until Ron glanced at the door and jumped to hide from her gaze out of embarrassment, causing his brothers to laugh at him in confusion. Fred looked to where his younger brother had been, and had a very different reaction. His eyes went unbelievably wide, almost bugging out of his head, and he grabbed his brother’s arm hastily. George, who was still trying to talk to Ron about what he was doing on the floor, tried to brush his brother off. Fred only gripped harder, shaking George’s arm almost violently to try and get his attention. 

“Bloody hell, Fred,  _ what _ ?”

“George, look over there, now.”

Rolling his eyes, George looked to where Fred was pointing. Anastasia and Draco were now standing together on the edge of the dance floor, laughing at something he had said. George’s jaw went completely slack, falling open in shock. He didn’t know if he was angry, surprised, heartbroken, or just completely flabbergasted at the sight. 

“Did you know they were a thing? Could’ve sworn Harry was spouting about going with Staze. Alas, I’ve got to admit, I really thought you two would go together, with all of your bloody flirting. Almost tore my ears out listening to it all the time.”

“Fred! Can you shut it? Honestly, I’ve just gone through a shock and all you talk about is  _ this _ ! Do you see them together, all buddy-buddy? What the hell could Malfoy possibly say to make her laugh like that,  _ I’m  _ the only one who can make her laugh like that!”

“George, mate, I think you’ve gotta come off it. Obviously she’s chosen what kind of crowd she wants to be around.”

“No, no I don’t believe it. She would never go with him if there wasn’t another reason to.”

The twins stood, looking like mirrors of each other in their expressions, following Anastasia and her date with their eyes intently. Even when the champions came in one by one with their dates, all George could see was Draco’s hand on her hand. His stare was so intense, she felt it from across the room. No matter how hard she fought against it, her eyes drifted over to look at him. His ginger head towered over everyone else, easy to spot from anywhere. The energy his red hot stare gave off was overwhelming, something she had never felt before from him in all her years. She was almost frightened by it, but she hardened her own stare back at him. After all, he had no right to be jealous. If he wanted to go to the ball with her he would’ve asked, Merlin knows they spent enough time together for him to. She let out a determined breath through her nose and turned back to Draco,

“Fancy dancing? The champions are already going,”

“Rather forward, are we?” He raised an eyebrow at her as if questioning her intentions.

“Is that a no?”

“Absolutely not,” Draco held out his hand to Stasia with a rather charming smile, “come with me, love,”

“Ever so charming,” she smiled at him with a confidence she had never felt in herself, not knowing if it was the clothing or the revenge. Whatever it was, it made her feel powerful, which was exactly what she needed. She took Draco’s hand and he led her out to the floor, putting her other hand on his shoulder. He slid his onto her waist in a smooth gesture, initiating the dance with a forward step. They flowed in sync with the other dancers, lifting, spinning, and stepping away in a well practiced pattern. It was so smooth it almost felt like a trance, and Draco’s grey eyes locked in with hers only intensified the feeling. He hoisted her up by her waist again, squeezing her sides with his slender fingers.

When the music changed, most of the other students crowded the front of the stage and started to jump around excitedly. Anastasia decided to opt out of the pit of loud noise and tight quarters, however, and excused herself to get a drink. She saw Harry and Ron sitting at a table with their dates, looking rather dejected. When he looked up at her, Harry gave a weak smile and wave. As much as her heart told her to forgive him, her hard head refused ardently. Stasia turned away without acknowledging him, walking to the long refreshment table with an air of confidence. 

“Poor Padma and Parvati, they don’t deserve such shit dates,” Anastasia huffed to herself, muttering over the large bowl of punch, “and to think they both thought they were getting some great TriWizard champion! How sad,” 

“So, has Malfoy driven you so crazy that you’ve started to talk to yourself?”

“Georg- oh! Sorry Fred, I wasn’t quite listening,” she took a sip out of her cup, glancing over to the Weasley boy, “No, he’s not driving me crazy, surprisingly. I was just thinking out loud.”

“Vying for someone interesting to talk to, no doubt. Never fear, I’m here for all of your entertainment needs. Fancy a walk, perhaps?”

“That would be lovely, Freddie, but I can’t leave my date without warning. Maybe another time?”

“Oh yes, that certain date of yours. How on earth did you wind up with that knob-head? Come on, you know you’re far too good for that entitled prick.”

“Look, he asked me! That’s really all it is, no one else bothered to ask me. Everyone except Harry, apparently, who waited for the one moment I wasn’t awake to ask. And while I hate to admit it, Draco is decently chivalrous. He even got me everything I’m wearing right now, can you believe it?”

“No, I really can’t believe it,” Fred scratched the back of his head, “You hated each other! With good reason, too, man’s a complete dickhead! This is just a one time thing, yeah? You don’t actually fancy that git?”

“Merlin,  _ calm down _ Freddie! First of all, it doesn’t matter who I fancy, I’m plenty responsible. Second off, it’s one night, what's the harm? Not like I’m marrying him, it’s a  _ dance _ ! And  _ lastly _ , this is  _ just _ to piss off Harry for being such a dunce! Now drop it Weasley, no more Draco talk.”

“Don’t have to tell me twice,” Fred grinned at her with his usual cheeky nature, “Offer is still on for that walk, love, I hear it’s quite crisp out!” 

With that Fred sauntered away with his usual pep, no doubt back to Angelina. Anastasia liked Angelina well enough, but the thought of him not being with Maisie made her almost as sad as Maisie herself. Of course, Fred was just as oblivious as his twin when it came to romance. It took everything Stasia had not to hit him in the back of the head and yell at him to go ask her to dance. But now it was simply too late. Fred had asked Angelina a while ago, and Maisie’s heart had since been broken and mended. It seemed Dean Thomas had managed to do this by himself, something no one really saw coming. Of course, Fred was unbelievably jealous of this, blindly unaware of the fact he was the main reason it happened. 

Fred’s eyes were glued on Maisie throughout the ball, and George almost comically mirrored him to look at Anastasia. But both girls had decided at the start of the ball to ignore the Weasley twins. They should have asked when they had the chance, as brave and witty as they were. Merlin knows they could come up with some inventive ways to ask a girl out.

While Anastasia stood near the drinks, deep in her thoughts, the music faded to a slow dance. Most of the students had wandered off to their dorms by then, leaving the space calmer than before. Stasia took this as a welcome to wander back to the floor, scanning for her elegant date.  _ Where on earth is that Malfoy? If he left, I swear- _

She was knocked out of thought rather abruptly at the sight she found at the corner of the crowd. Draco’s obvious head of white hair, up close and personal with a head of black hair.  _ Pansy  _ **_bloody_ ** _ Parkinson?! I should have known that absolute slag wouldn’t give it a rest! It’s damn disgusting _ . Not only was Malfoy kissing her back, but it was quite unpleasantly passionate. Public affection was one thing, but  _ this _ ? This was practically an assault of the eyes. It made her blood boil, seeing the disgusting act. Not only had Draco asked  _ her _ to the hall himself, but he had dressed her up like him! No doubt some sort of jest to make her look completely foolish in front of the whole of Hogwarts. 

No tears came to her eyes, as there was no sadness in her. At least, not at the moment. Now, all she felt was unbridled rage. Towards Draco, for kissing some girl after practically forcing her to go to the ball with him, to Pansy simply for being an all-around skank, and towards Harry and George for just being twats. All of her bottled hatred and anger was winding into a tight ball, ready to snap any moment. Screw being kind, a Hufflepuff had other values. She had loyalty to herself, seeked justice for the wrongs done against her, and there was one way to do it. 

“Oi, dickhead!”

Malfoy’s head pulled away from Pansy’s quickly at the sound of Anastasia’s voice. His eyes went wide when he saw her approaching, dark energy seeping out of her skin and emanating all around her. He shoved Parkinson away hastily, backing up in fear of the woman approaching. 

“Dracy, why would you do that!” Pansy emitted a whine, unaware of the figure standing close behind her, “Come back now!”

“ _ Ahem _ , hello there  _ Pansy _ .”

The pig-nosed girl whipped around to look up at Stasia, finally getting that snobby look off of her face. Instead, her mouth hung open in shock at the gorgeous girl who looked fit to be a Slytherin queen. Anastasia merely cocked an eyebrow at her before swiping a hand directly at the puggy face. Pansy yelped in pain, too taken aback by the sudden turn in severity of the situation to berate her attacker. She rushed away, no doubt back to the dungeons, leaving a cowering Draco.

“ _You_. Draco Malfoy, almighty and above all. You think because Mummy buys you some fancy clothes and Daddy says you’re special, that means you can go around doing whatever the _fuck_ you please? Think you can ask me to the ball all courteous and shit, try and charm me into a stupor, and then just snog _Pansy_ _Parkinson_ on the dance floor in front of everyone?”

“Please-”

“Please  _ what _ ? Don’t hurt you? Oh come on now, I’m not  _ cruel _ , I would never.”

Upon hearing this, Draco seemed to remember that he was dealing with a Hufflepuff, and stood tall. He threw a smirk her way, starting to say something snarky, but Anastasia smiled back with such venom dripping out of her that he shut his mouth quickly. Before he could take a step back, she swung her heeled foot up at his groin, striking with remarkable accuracy. 

“ _ AH-” _

“Shh, wouldn’t want to cause a stir at the ball,  _ Malfoy _ .”

Anastasia smiled, ever so pleased with herself and his reaction, striding towards her next goal with determination. She spotted the tall redhead from far away, just like normal, and made a beeline to him.

“Hey Freddie, how about that walk?”


End file.
